# History and leadership of Google and Alphabet

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/history-and-leadership-of-google-and-alphabet
> Updated: 2026-08-19T16:32:10.000Z. Sources: 2. Developments: 2.

Google was founded in 1995 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were students at Stanford University. Following the registration of the google.com domain in 1997 and incorporation in 1998, the company expanded through a series of major service launches, including Google Images, Gmail, YouTube, and the Android operating system. 

Sergey Brin, who co-developed the PageRank algorithm, served as president of technology and later as president of Alphabet Inc. following a 2015 restructuring. Although Brin and Page stepped down from leadership roles in 2019, they continue to serve on the company’s board of directors. Alphabet Inc. reported 198,933 employees as of June 30, 2026.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-19: Sergey Brin: Google co-founder and Alphabet pioneer

Google co-founder Sergey Brin is a computer scientist who revolutionized information access through the development of the PageRank algorithm and the growth of Alphabet Inc.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/sergey-brin-google-co-founder-and-alphabet-pioneer

### 2026-07-28: Alphabet's Google Milestones: From 1995 Startup to Global Tech Giant

Google, founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1995, evolved from a Stanford project into a global tech leader, launching services like Gmail, YouTube, Android and employing nearly 199 000 people by 2026.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/alphabets-google-milestones-from-1995-startup-to-global-tech-giant

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Cite as: History and leadership of Google and Alphabet. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/history-and-leadership-of-google-and-alphabet