Google's Founding Anniversary

What Is Google's Founding Anniversary?

September 27th is celebrated as "Google's Founding Anniversary" — the day Google, the company behind the world's most widely used search engine, marks as its own birthday.

Why September 27th, of All Days?

Curiously, September 27th isn't Google's actual incorporation date. So why has it become the company's official birthday?

• Company founded: Google was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin
• Domain registered: The "google.com" domain was registered on September 15, 1997
• Incorporation: Google was formally incorporated on September 4, 1998
• Origin of the "birthday": Since 2006, Google has marked September 27th as its founding anniversary, usually with a special Doodle. Why this date was chosen is not clear, though it has been reported that the date shifted so the birthday could coincide with announcements of milestones in the size of its search index
• Earlier dates: Before that, other days such as September 7th and September 26th were sometimes treated as the anniversary

Choosing a Symbol Over a Strict Date

Rather than insisting on the exact legal founding date, Google has embraced a symbolic date to celebrate each year — a flexible, characteristically Google approach.

Ways to Mark the Day

• Look into the founding story of Google and its co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin
• Revisit the evolution of the Google logo and past Doodles
• Take a moment to appreciate the search engine you use every day without a second thought
• Reflect on how much technology has evolved since Google's earliest days

A Day to Reflect on the Search Engine That Changed the World

Google's Founding Anniversary isn't tied to a strict legal date — it's a symbolic day the company itself chose to celebrate. September 27th is a moment to pause and appreciate the history of the search engine that has become woven into our everyday lives.