« Home | The Fairy » | Did this woman write Shakespeare’s works? » | King of Hobbies » | Marketing Made Easy » | Wide Eyed Wonder » | Funny Link » | Karawia » | 23 April-World Book and Copyright Day » | Pun Fun » | Prophet Muhammad's Birthday(pbuh) » 

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

The Google Guys

larrysergey

The Guys behind Google

Larry Page and Sergey Brin are not your typical billionaires. In fact, if you type billionaire into Google, the picture that emerges — fancy cars, private jets, mansions, jewels, and supermodel girlfriends — isn't anything you'd find in the lifestyle of the Google guys. Page drives a Toyota Prius, which costs around $21,000. Brin gets around for the most part on in-line skates, and he still lives in a rented apartment.

These two young men are the brains behind Google, the world's most popular Internet search engine. It now answers over 200 million daily requests for information from people around the world.

Since taking Google public earlier this year, each is worth an estimated $6 billion. Even the way they took their company public was innovative. They let ordinary people bid on shares in their initial public offering, not just the big banks, because they thought it was fairer.

With the investment revenue, Google now has more money to spend on the future. The company is already working on ways to search and read full libraries worth of books via the Internet.

How it all began

Today both barely in their thirties, the two first met at Stanford University in the mid-1990s, where they were doing doctorates in computer sciences.

Apparently, they did not immediately hit it off, but they became friends while developing a new system of Internet search engine from their college dormitory.

Initially called BackRub, they created a software system whereby the search engine would list results according to the popularity of the pages, after realizing that more times than not the most popular result would also be the most useful.

So after changing its name to Google they dropped out of college (although Brin is officially still on leave) and the rest, as they say, is history.

Pulling together $1m from family, friends and other investors, on 7 September 1998 Google was commercially launched from a friend's garage.

Family influences

Both Page and Brin come from an academic and computer science or mathematical background.

Larry - or Lawrence - Page was born and raised in Michigan, the son of Carl Page, a pioneer in computer science and artificial intelligence.

Page Senior earned a doctoral degree in computer science in 1965, back when the subject was still in its infancy, and went on to become a computer science professor at Michigan State University.

His wife, and Larry Page's mother, also worked in computers, teaching computer programming.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Larry Page says he fell in love with computers at the tender age of six.

Mr Brin is a Muscovite by birth, the son of a Soviet mathematician economist.

His family immigrated to the US in 1979. And Mr. Brin went on to get a degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Maryland, before enrolling at Stanford University as a postgraduate.

Hippy mantra

Google today has its headquarters at Mountain View in the heart of California's famous Silicon Valley, where certain quirks are in place to keep staff happy.

These include weekly games of roller-hockey in the car park, an on-site masseuse and a piano.

And each member of the team is given one day a week to spend on their own pet projects.

In a nod to the county's former hippy past, the company's head chef is said to have formerly worked for the rock band Grateful Dead.

There is also something very 1960s California about what Page and Brin say is their philosophy.

As Page recently explained to ABC News: "We have a mantra: 'Don't be evil', which is to do the best things we know how for our users, for our customers, for everyone.

"So I think if we were known for that, it would be a wonderful thing."

BBC News Online Buisness
ABC News


Technorati Tags: ,

E-mail this post



Remember me (?)



All personal information that you provide here will be governed by the Privacy Policy of Blogger.com. More...

I find this article very interesting because these 2 guys started really small. I mean it was garage. Now they've reached Silicon Valley.

It goes to show, everthing starts small.. Nothing starts big...

I wonder how far will these guys go. Now that they have gmail and other services. Only time can tell...

Hey, anybody has an idea for an investment?? :P

the american dream lives on

I found this article very interesting, most of all what i read the other day about google's procedures to recruit new employees. They use complicated computer riddles that are presented online, and who ever solves them gets a chance to be interviewd for a prospective job with google. It is a dream job for many people! I found that very cool!

I'm very impressed by those guys, they seem so focused not to even have their own place.. I wonder how they can be so ambitious towards their company and not their personal lives, after all does money do any good just sitting in the bank?

They both rock.
They are two amazing guys. Just try to read their paper on searching techniques :D

Sara: when I have a good idea, you'll be the first to know it :)

Nurhan: I agree, you only have these great success stories in America

Ally: Thanks for the info, I didn't know that

Omar: That's what I was thinking too

Nader: I really admire these two, that's why I posted something about them

Ok great now I have an other example to look for..

Hey Dina! How are you? Have suspended my blog for awhile. Will be off to Mecca next week. Did you receive my email?

Sorry forgot to sign off. It's me nour

Sinan: yes I suppose so...since you're into computers

Nour: Yes i did get your email and will reply to it soon :)

To Inheriting Syria: I had to delete your comment as it didn't conform with the nature of my blog. But I would like to thank you for it and I would like to say that I am impressed with your knowledge of the situation.

Hey ;)

Thanks for the intresting article.

I wanna comment about how they have cheap cars and stuff ...... they are doing this so they won't feel rich which will make them not fully concentrated on thier work :)

Cya ;)

Hasan: Glad you liked it :) That's a smart way to look at it.

Add a comment

 

    About me

    • I'm Dina
    • From Damascus, Syria
    My profile

    PhotoBlog

      www.flickr.com
      This is a Flickr badge showing public photos from Dina82. Make your own badge here.

    Syrian Blogs

      • Read what Syrian Bloggers across the globe have to say on Syria Planet

    Other

    A Proudly Syrian Blog

      Ads

      Damascus Time