Top 10 Interesting Facts About the Tech Giant Google

Approximately two-thirds of the global population still lacks access to the internet for various reasons. This is where Google's "Project Loon" comes in, using hot air balloons to create a mobile internet network. These balloons can provide internet access to people within a 1,000 km radius. The project was successfully tested in New Zealand in June 2013 and expanded to Brazil in June 2014. It presents a potential alternative to traditional cable-based internet services, helping to bridge the digital divide.

Ranked by Fortune as one of the "Best Companies to Work For" in 5 of the past 8 years, it's no surprise that Google employees enjoy top-notch benefits. In addition to an impressive average salary of $100,000 per year, they receive numerous perks, including healthcare, free snacks, haircuts, laundry services, and even free childcare.

The headquarters of the tech giant Google spans nearly 300,000 square meters (and is continuously expanding) and is located in Mountain View, Santa Clara County, California, USA. The campus is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and environmentally friendly features to support its employees. These include a vegetable garden, a sports area, a T-Rex dinosaur model, an Android robot (the mascot of Google's operating system), and a massive screen showcasing what people around the world are searching for on Google.

At the time, the storage capacity of only 40 GB was considered much smaller compared to today's personal storage devices. However, back then, it was considered a supercomputer. The use of Lego blocks to encase the hardware was a clever way to prepare for adding more storage units. Today, this early storage system is on display at the Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center at Stanford University.

This method is considered far more pleasant than using lawnmowers. Google has contracted around 200 goats on a regular basis to help clear the grass and brush at their Mountain View campus. The goats usually stay for about a week and do their job quite well. According to Google officials, the cost of using goats is comparable to hiring lawnmowers, but the goats create a much cuter and more peaceful atmosphere, without the noise of machines.

For instance, if you type a math equation or calculation into the search bar, Google will automatically solve it for you, or display a calculator on the screen with the answer. Additionally, Google has created various fun effects and games that can be triggered directly from the search bar, such as typing "do a barrel roll" to make the screen spin, or "tilt" to tilt the entire page at an angle.

This slogan was introduced by Paul Butcheit during a business values seminar in the early 2000s. Butcheit explained that it was "like a jab at other companies," particularly competitors, as it accused Google of exploiting users in some way.

However, this motto also served as a self-criticism of Google itself, as Microsoft argued that Google had abandoned its own motto's spirit when it refused to separate search results from advertisements.

Many people may be surprised to learn that the familiar name "Google" actually originated from a typo. The company's founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, were brainstorming names for their search technology. Sean Anderson suggested "googolplex" (10^100) to reflect the vast amount of data the search engine would process. The name was later shortened to "googol," but when Anderson was checking the domain availability online, he accidentally typed "Google." Larry Page loved the typo, and just a few hours later, the domain "google.com" was registered.

This humorous situation occurred in October 2014 when Google's Street View car inadvertently captured an image of Mary Pia Grillo while she was bending over in front of her house, exposing part of her chest. Mary sued Google, claiming she suffered from depression as a result of male coworkers searching for the image and mocking her. Google argued that the photo was taken in a public area, but they still had to pay her a fine of $2,250.

This is a strategy by Google to prevent its famous name from being exploited for malicious purposes. Additionally, many users frequently misspell the name "Google," with the common error "googel" being searched approximately 5 million times a month. To help with this, Google redirects users who make these typos to the official website for convenience. Interestingly, Google even owns the domain "466453," a number that corresponds to the company's name.