3 ms·

Google facts and figures

52 points by drtse4 17y ago

giu 17y ago
It's funny to see that Google set its IPO goal on April 2004 to the mathematical constant e (in billions), but hit almost PI (also the mathematical constant, in billions) in Revenue in the planned year :)
euroclydon 17y ago
60,000 Android phones shipped each day? Wow, that's a lot. I wonder how many are sold each day?
10ren 17y ago
I wonder would is the percent of revenue from products that originated from the 20% time? e.g. for gmail, its adwords revenue.
og1 17y ago
I had no idea that Android was an acquisition.
- drtse4 17y ago
  Android Inc. a company co-founded by Andy Rubin (ex-CEO of Danger Inc. that built the Sidekick).
froo 17y ago
Lots of interesting facts and tidbits in there. I'm guessing we all know that Google was misspelling of the number Googol, however, I wonder how many of you know that the Googol was inspired by a cartoon character from the 1930's named Barney Google http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/090636google.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/090636google.j... So it seems to have come full circle in that regard.
- harpastum 17y ago
  I'm not sure which is correct, but wikipedia seems to think that the word 'googol' was first used by Edward Kasner in 1920: The name "googol" was invented by a child (Dr. Kasner's nine-year-old nephew) who was asked to think up a name for a very big number, namely, 1 with a hundred zeros after it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Kasner#Googol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Kasner#Googol EDIT: After looking around some more, you seem to be correct: "...[Kasner] asked his nine-year-old nephew, Milton Sirotta, to suggest a word. The youthful comic strip reader told Kasner to use "Google". Kasner agreed and in 1940 he introduced the words "googol" and "googolplex" in his book, Mathematics and the Imagination." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_Google_and_Snuffy_Smith#Origin_of_.22Google.22 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_Google_and_Snuffy_Smith#...
CoachRufus87 17y ago
Google has certainly set the bar high for the "Next Google"
mixmax 17y ago
Interesting to note that 97% of their revenue comes from advertising. That's a weak spot for them, and surely they know it. If some better disruptive technology comes along they could have serious problems.
nostrademons 17y ago
The rule of thumb I'd heard for when you're no longer a Noogler is when your Noogler balloon stops flying. (You're given a helium-filled mylar balloon with a Google happy face when you start; mine lasted about 5 months). That's almost always after when you've been there longer than 1% of the staff. I joined in January 09 when everyone thought the world was ending and the word on the street was "hiring freeze", so it was only a few percent in my case. But for someone who joined in say, 2005 and whose Noogler balloon lasted a while (I've heard of them flying for up to a year), it might've been up to 50% of the staff.

52 points by drtse4 17y ago

giu 17y ago

It's funny to see that Google set its IPO goal on April 2004 to the mathematical constant e (in billions), but hit almost PI (also the mathematical constant, in billions) in Revenue in the planned year :)

euroclydon 17y ago

60,000 Android phones shipped each day? Wow, that's a lot. I wonder how many are sold each day?

10ren 17y ago

I wonder would is the percent of revenue from products that originated from the 20% time? e.g. for gmail, its adwords revenue.

og1 17y ago

I had no idea that Android was an acquisition.

drtse4 17y ago
Android Inc. a company co-founded by Andy Rubin (ex-CEO of Danger Inc. that built the Sidekick).

froo 17y ago

Lots of interesting facts and tidbits in there. I'm guessing we all know that Google was misspelling of the number Googol, however, I wonder how many of you know that the Googol was inspired by a cartoon character from the 1930's named Barney Google http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/090636google.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/090636google.j... So it seems to have come full circle in that regard.

harpastum 17y ago
I'm not sure which is correct, but wikipedia seems to think that the word 'googol' was first used by Edward Kasner in 1920: The name "googol" was invented by a child (Dr. Kasner's nine-year-old nephew) who was asked to think up a name for a very big number, namely, 1 with a hundred zeros after it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Kasner#Googol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Kasner#Googol EDIT: After looking around some more, you seem to be correct: "...[Kasner] asked his nine-year-old nephew, Milton Sirotta, to suggest a word. The youthful comic strip reader told Kasner to use "Google". Kasner agreed and in 1940 he introduced the words "googol" and "googolplex" in his book, Mathematics and the Imagination." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_Google_and_Snuffy_Smith#Origin_of_.22Google.22 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_Google_and_Snuffy_Smith#...

CoachRufus87 17y ago

Google has certainly set the bar high for the "Next Google"

mixmax 17y ago

Interesting to note that 97% of their revenue comes from advertising. That's a weak spot for them, and surely they know it. If some better disruptive technology comes along they could have serious problems.

nostrademons 17y ago

The rule of thumb I'd heard for when you're no longer a Noogler is when your Noogler balloon stops flying. (You're given a helium-filled mylar balloon with a Google happy face when you start; mine lasted about 5 months). That's almost always after when you've been there longer than 1% of the staff. I joined in January 09 when everyone thought the world was ending and the word on the street was "hiring freeze", so it was only a few percent in my case. But for someone who joined in say, 2005 and whose Noogler balloon lasted a while (I've heard of them flying for up to a year), it might've been up to 50% of the staff.