Initial Public Offering

On August 19, 2004, Google went public through an initial public offering (IPO), listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol GOOG. At the time, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Eric Schmidt agreed to work together at Google until 2024. The company offered 19,605,052 shares at $85 per share. The IPO used an online auction format, developed by Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse, the underwriters for the deal. The offering raised $1.67 billion, giving Google a market capitalization of over $23 billion.

Acquisitions and Expansions

• YouTube Acquisition: On November 13, 2006, Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion in Google stock.
• Wireless Spectrum Auction (2007): In July 2007, Google bid $4.6 billion for wireless spectrum in an auction by the FCC.
• DoubleClick Acquisition (2008): On March 11, 2008, Google acquired DoubleClick for $3.1 billion, gaining valuable relationships with web publishers and advertising agencies.
• Data Centers and Growth (2011): By 2011, Google handled approximately 3 billion searches per day, requiring the company to build 11 data centers globally.

In May 2011, Google reached a significant milestone, surpassing one billion monthly unique visitors. In 2012, Google acquired Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion to access its extensive patent portfolio, aiding Google in patent disputes with companies like Apple and Microsoft.

2012 Onwards

• Waze Acquisition (2013): In June 2013, Google acquired the location-based social app Waze for $966 million, integrating its crowdsourced location data into Google Maps.
• Calico Launch (2013): Google launched Calico in September 2013, a health and well-being company focusing on aging and associated diseases.
• DeepMind Acquisition (2014): In January 2014, Google acquired DeepMind Technologies for $400 million, enhancing its AI and robotics capabilities. DeepMind’s AlphaGo would later make headlines in 2015 for defeating a top human Go player.

In 2015, Google reorganized into Alphabet Inc., with Google becoming its largest subsidiary. Sundar Pichai was appointed CEO of Google, while Larry Page took on the role of CEO at Alphabet.

Controversies and Protests

• James Damore Firing (2017): On August 8, 2017, Google fired employee James Damore for distributing a controversial memo on diversity, which Sundar Pichai stated violated company policies.
• Employee Protests (2018–2019): Between 2018 and 2019, Google employees protested company decisions, including its handling of sexual harassment, work on a censored Chinese search engine (Project Dragonfly), and involvement in military AI (Project Maven). In 2018, over 20,000 employees staged a walkout, demanding changes in company policies.

Antitrust Investigations and Legal Issues

• Antitrust Investigation (2019): In June 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice announced an investigation into Google for potential antitrust violations related to its dominance in search and advertising markets.
• Antitrust Lawsuit (2020): The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit accusing Google of abusing its monopoly in the search and advertising markets.
• Global Legal Challenges (2024): In August 2024, a U.S. court ruled that Google held an illegal monopoly over internet search. Later that year, the EU Court of Justice also found Google in violation of antitrust laws related to its shopping search practices, imposing a €2.4 billion fine.

International Expansion and Strategic Developments

• AI Hub in Saudi Arabia (2024): In November 2024, Google announced the establishment of a new AI hub in Saudi Arabia, contributing to the Kingdom's Vision 2030 initiative. The hub aims to drive AI innovation and support sectors such as healthcare, finance, and logistics, with a focus on Arabic language technologies.

Recent Developments

• Stadia (2019): On March 19, 2019, Google launched Stadia, a cloud gaming platform, marking its entry into the video game industry.
• COVID-19 Impact (2020): The COVID-19 pandemic led Google to implement cost-cutting measures, including halting hiring and shifting most employees to remote work.
• Worker Unionization (2021): In 2021, the Alphabet Workers Union was formed, comprising mostly Google employees, highlighting growing labor concerns within the company.
• Project Bernanke (2021): A Wall Street Journal report revealed that Google used a program called "Project Bernanke" to gain an advantage over competitors in advertising bids, a practice mentioned in ongoing antitrust investigations.

New Technologies and Policy Changes

• Security Tools (2022): In December 2022, Google launched OSV-Scanner, a tool designed to identify security vulnerabilities in open-source software to defend against supply chain attacks.
• Phone Number and Address Removals (2022): Google began accepting requests for the removal of phone numbers, physical addresses, and email addresses from search results in an effort to increase privacy.

Products and Services

Search Engine

Google's primary product is its search engine, which indexes billions of web pages to allow users to search for information using keywords and operators. According to comScore market research from November 2009, Google Search dominates the U.S. market with a market share of 65.6%. In May 2017, Google introduced the "Personal" tab in Google Search, which allows users to search for content within their Google account services, such as Gmail and Google Photos.

Google also operates several related search services, including:

• Google News (2002): An automated service summarizing news articles from various websites.
• Google Books: Allows users to search the text of books in Google's database and shows previews or full books where allowed.
• Google Shopping (originally Froogle in 2002): A service to search for shopping-related information.
• Google Finance (2006) and Google Flights (2011): Offer search features for financial data and flight options.

Advertising

Google generates the majority of its revenue from advertising, which includes ads on Google Search, YouTube, Android, and through Google Cloud services. Three primary methods are used to drive this revenue:

1. AdMob
2. AdSense
3. DoubleClick AdExchange

In 2017, 46% of Google's advertising revenue was from clicks (cost-per-click), totaling $109.7 billion. Google also offers Google Analytics, allowing website owners to track user interactions and optimize their site performance. Google Ads lets advertisers place ads in the Google Content Network, while Google AdSense enables website owners to earn revenue from clicks on these ads.

A common criticism of these services is the risk of click fraud, where clicks are generated automatically or maliciously to unfairly charge advertisers. Google also offers Google Search Console, a tool for webmasters to optimize their websites' visibility and security.

Artificial Intelligence

Google has made significant advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), developing virtual assistants like Google Bard and launching the Gemini AI platform in March 2024, which is seen as a serious competitor to ChatGPT. Google also created models such as:

• Imagen (text-to-image) and Veo (text-to-video) for generating visual content from text descriptions.
• NotebookLM (2023): A tool for synthesizing documents using Gemini, including the "Audio Overview" feature, which creates podcast-like summaries of documents.
• LearnLM (2024): A family of AI language models designed as personal tutors.

Consumer Services

Google offers a variety of web-based services that cater to both personal and professional needs:

1. Gmail - Email service
2. Google Calendar - Time management and scheduling tool
3. Google Maps & Google Earth - Navigation and satellite imagery
4. Google Drive - Cloud storage service
5. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides - Productivity tools for document creation and collaboration
6. Google Photos - Photo storage and sharing service
7. Google Keep - Note-taking service
8. Google Translate - Language translation tool
9. YouTube - Video sharing platform
10. Google My Business - Manages public business information
11. Google Classroom - Educational tool for assignments and communication
12. Duo - Social interaction video calling service
13. Google for Jobs - Job search feature that aggregates listings from job boards and career sites

Google also launched Google Earth in 2005, which provides high-definition satellite images from around the world, available for free via client software.

Software

Google is known for its development of several key software products, including:

• Android: The widely-used mobile operating system.
• Google Chrome: A popular web browser that has become one of the most used browsers globally.
• ChromeOS: An operating system based on the Chrome browser, designed for lightweight computing.
• Smartwatch and Smart Device Operating Systems: Google also develops operating systems for smartwatches, televisions, cars, and Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled smart devices.

These software products cover a broad range of platforms and devices, contributing to Google's dominant presence in both mobile and web computing.

Hardware

Google has also ventured into hardware, launching several successful products over the years:

• Nexus One (2010): The first Android phone under Google's own brand, followed by other devices under the "Nexus" branding until its discontinuation in 2016. The Pixel line replaced it in 2016.
• Chromebooks (2011): Laptops running ChromeOS, emphasizing cloud-based computing.
• Chromecast (2013): A dongle for streaming content from smartphones to televisions.
• Google Cardboard (2014): A simple VR viewer that uses a smartphone for virtual reality experiences.
• Daydream View (2016): A VR headset allowing users to place their smartphones in a front hinge for immersive media viewing.

Other notable Google hardware products include:

• Google Nest: A range of voice assistant smart speakers that can answer queries, play music, control smart home devices, and more. It includes products like Google Home, Nest Audio, and Nest Hub.
• Nest Wifi: A connected set of Wi-Fi routers to improve home network coverage.

Enterprise Services

Google offers services tailored for businesses and organizations:

• Google Workspace: A subscription service for businesses that includes tools like Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, with additional administrative and support features. This was previously known as G Suite until its rebranding in 2020.
• Google for Entrepreneurs: A business incubator that offers co-working spaces, workshops, and mentorship for startups. The initiative operates campuses in cities like Berlin, London, and Tel Aviv.
• Google Analytics 360 Suite (2016): A suite of data and marketing analytics tools for enterprise marketers. It integrates with the Google Cloud Platform, helping businesses optimize customer experiences and marketing strategies.

Internet Services

Google has also expanded into various internet services:

• Google Fiber (2010): A project aimed at building a high-speed broadband network in select U.S. cities, later moved under Alphabet's Access division.
• Project Fi (2015): A mobile virtual network operator that combines Wi-Fi and cellular networks to provide seamless connectivity.

Financial Services

• OpenWallet Foundation (2023): Google became the first major tech company to join this foundation, which aims to create open-source software for interoperable digital wallets, signaling its interest in expanding into digital finance.

Office Locations

Headquarters

Google's global headquarters, known as the Googleplex, is located in Mountain View, California. The name is a play on the mathematical term "googolplex" and reflects the complex of multiple buildings on the campus.

New York City Offices

Google's New York City presence includes:

• 111 Eighth Avenue: Since 2006, housing its largest advertising sales team. Google purchased the building in 2010 for approximately $1.9 billion.
• Chelsea Market: Acquired by Google's parent company, Alphabet, in 2018 for $2.4 billion, marking one of the largest single-building real estate deals in NYC history.
• Google Hudson Square: Announced in 2018, this $1 billion, 1.7 million-square-foot campus in Manhattan will accommodate 12,000 employees, significantly expanding Google's New York footprint.

U.S. Offices

By late 2006, Google established an AdWords headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, followed by an office at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh focused on shopping-related ads and smartphone applications. Additional U.S. offices include:

• Atlanta, Georgia
• Austin, Texas
• Boulder, Colorado
• Cambridge, Massachusetts
• San Francisco, California
• Seattle & Kirkland, Washington
• Birmingham, Michigan
• Reston, Virginia
• Washington, D.C.
• Madison, Wisconsin

International Offices

Google operates over 78 offices in more than 50 countries, including:

• Dublin, Ireland: European headquarters for Google Ads.
• Sydney, Australia: Birthplace of Google Maps.
• London, UK: Part of Android development. A 1 million-square-foot office designed to host 4,500 employees was announced in 2013.
• Hyderabad, India: A campus planned to be Google's largest outside the U.S., accommodating 13,000 employees.

Regional Office Breakdown

• North America: 32 offices (29 in the U.S., including 9 in California, and 3 in Canada).
• Latin America: 6 offices.
• Europe: 24 offices (including 3 in the UK).
• Asia-Pacific: 26 offices (including 5 in India, 3 in China, and 3 in Australia).
• Africa & Middle East: 5 offices.

Google’s global network continues to expand, reflecting its growth in both technology innovation and market presence.

Corporate Affairs

Stock Price Performance and Quarterly Earnings

• Initial Public Offering (IPO): Google went public on August 19, 2004, offering 19,605,052 shares at $85 per share, raising $1.67 billion. At the time, the company had a market capitalization of over $23 billion.
• Stock Performance: Google's stock price rose significantly after the IPO. By October 31, 2007, shares hit $350 due to strong sales in the online advertising market. The company's stock is listed under the symbols GOOGL (Class A shares) and GOOG (Class C shares) on NASDAQ and GGQ1 on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, under the parent company Alphabet Inc.
• Revenue Growth: In 2005, Google's profits increased by 700%, driven by a shift from traditional advertising (print, TV) to digital ads. By 2012, the company generated $50 billion in annual revenue, with a major portion coming from its advertising revenue.

Tax Avoidance Strategies

Google has been known for employing various tax avoidance strategies, including using complex international structures to reduce its global tax liabilities:

• Between 2007 and 2010, Google saved billions in taxes by routing profits through Ireland, the Netherlands, and Bermuda, reducing its non-U.S. tax rate to 2.3% compared to higher rates in countries like the UK (28%).
• Google faced scrutiny for these strategies, including a French investigation in 2012, and a settlement with the UK government in 2016, paying £130 million in back taxes.
• In 2020, Google restructured its global tax practices, bringing intellectual property back to the U.S. to address criticism.

Corporate Identity

• Name Origin: The name "Google" was a misspelling of "googol", referring to the number 1 followed by 100 zeros, symbolizing the company's goal of organizing vast amounts of information.
• Mission and Slogan: Google's original mission was "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." Their unofficial motto was "Don't be evil," which was later updated in 2015 to "Do the right thing" in Alphabet's corporate code of conduct.
• Logo and Google Doodles: The first Google logo was designed by Sergey Brin. The company is known for its creative and temporary "Google Doodles" celebrating holidays, events, or notable people. The tradition began in 1998 with a Burning Man Festival Doodle and evolved to include a team of in-house "Doodlers".
• April Fools' Day and Easter Eggs: Google has developed a tradition of releasing humorous pranks for April Fools' Day, including a 2000 joke about "Google MentalPlex" and the 2007 "Toilet Internet Service Provider." Additionally, Google’s search engine contains Easter eggs, such as quirky language options like Klingon and Pirate, as well as playful search suggestions (e.g., searching for "anagram" gives the suggestion "Did you mean: nag a ram?").

Workplace Culture

Recognition as a Top Employer

• Google has been consistently ranked among the best companies to work for. It was ranked first on Fortune magazine's list of the best companies to work for in 2007, 2008, and 2012, and was fourth in 2009 and 2010.
• In 2010, it was nominated as the world’s most attractive employer to graduating students, according to Universum Communications’ talent attraction index.

Corporate Philosophy

• Google's corporate culture is driven by principles that aim to foster a positive and creative work environment. These principles include:
  • "You can make money without doing evil."
  • "You can be serious without a suit."
  • "Work should be challenging and the challenge should be fun."

Employee Demographics

• As of September 30, 2020, Alphabet Inc. employed 132,121 people, with more than 100,000 working at Google itself.
• Google’s workforce was 32% women and 68% men, with employees being predominantly white (51.7%) and Asian (41.9%). In tech roles, 23.6% were women, and 26.7% of leadership roles were held by women.

Hierarchical Structure and Innovation Time Off

• Google has a hierarchical employee structure with six levels, ranging from entry-level data center workers (level 1) to managers and senior engineers (level 6).
• Google encourages innovation through Innovation Time Off, which allows engineers to spend 20% of their time on passion projects. This policy has led to the creation of several major Google products, including Gmail, Google News, and AdSense.

Challenges to Corporate Culture

• Over time, there have been reports suggesting that Google lost some of its original anti-corporate, no-evil philosophy, especially in light of its increasing size and corporate structure. To counter this, Google appointed a Chief Culture Officer to maintain the company's unique culture and values.
• The company has faced allegations of sexism and ageism from former employees, with lawsuits filed over discriminatory practices, including “no cold call” recruitment agreements and discrimination against employees based on conservative political views, gender, and race.

Workers' Union and Employee Activism

• In 2020, Google employees formed Alpha Global, an international workers' union. This group, which includes unions from 13 countries such as the U.S., U.K., and Switzerland, is affiliated with UNI Global Union, which represents around 20 million international workers.
• The union was created in response to ongoing concerns about employee mistreatment and a toxic workplace culture. Prior to this, Google faced criticism for allegedly surveilling and firing employees involved in unionizing efforts.
• In 2021, court documents revealed that Google ran an anti-union campaign called Project Vivian between 2018 and 2020, aimed at discouraging employees from joining unions by convincing them that "unions suck."
  Infrastructure

Data Centers

Google operates data centers across North and South America, Asia, and Europe. While the exact number of servers remains undisclosed, Gartner estimated in 2016 that Google used approximately 2.5 million servers. Initially, Google relied on commodity hardware similar to standard x86 PCs for parallel computing to reduce costs. However, by 2005, the company began designing its own servers, which were revealed publicly in 2009.

Submarine Cables

Google has built its own private submarine communications cables:

• Curie Cable: Completed in November 2019, connecting California with Chile.
• Dunant Cable: Operational since 2020, connecting the U.S. and France.
• Equiano Cable: Links Lisbon, Portugal, with Lagos, Nigeria, and Cape Town, South Africa.
• Grace Hopper Cable: Expected operational in 2022, connecting New York (U.S.), Bude (U.K.), and Bilbao (Spain).

Environment

Renewable Energy Initiatives

In October 2006, Google installed thousands of solar panels, generating 1.6 megawatts of electricity, which covered about 30% of its campus energy needs. This was the largest rooftop solar installation on a U.S. corporate campus at the time. Since 2007, the company has aimed for carbon neutrality.

In 2010, Google Energy made its first renewable energy investment with $38.8 million in two North Dakota wind farms, producing 169.5 megawatts—enough to power 55,000 homes. Subsequent investments include:

• 114 MW Wind Power Purchase: From an Iowa wind farm in 2010.
• 240 MW Wind Power Purchase: From the Happy Hereford wind farm in 2013.

By 2017, Google reached 100% renewable energy use for its operations, becoming the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy with 2.6 gigawatts of wind and solar power. A $2 billion investment in 2019 added another 1.6 gigawatts, increasing its green energy use by 40%.

Carbon Neutrality and Sustainability

In 2020, Google retroactively offset all carbon emissions since its founding in 1998 and committed to operating its offices and data centers on 100% carbon-free energy by 2030. The company also pledged to make its product packaging 100% plastic-free and recyclable by 2025, with all final assembly sites meeting zero waste standards by 2022.

Energy Consumption

In 2023, Google consumed 24 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity, exceeding the energy consumption of countries like Iceland, Ghana, and Tunisia

Philanthropy

Google.org

In 2004, Google established Google.org, a not-for-profit philanthropic arm, with a start-up fund of $1 billion. Its mission is to address global issues such as climate change, public health, and poverty. One of the organization’s early projects focused on developing a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle capable of achieving 100 miles per gallon. Larry Brilliant was hired as the first executive director, later succeeded by Megan Smith.

Educational and Mathematical Initiatives

In March 2007, Google partnered with the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) to host the first Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival at its headquarters in Mountain View. In 2011, Google contributed €1 million to support the International Mathematical Olympiad for five consecutive years (2011–2015).

Social Advocacy

In July 2012, Google launched the "Legalize Love" campaign, advocating for gay rights. The company has also consistently supported LGBTQ+ causes through various initiatives.

Community Support and Projects

In 2008, Google introduced Project 10100, a program allowing users to submit ideas for improving the community. After a two-year hiatus, Google revealed the winners, distributing $10 million across various initiatives, such as nonprofit organizations focused on education and platforms to make legal documents publicly accessible.

Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response

In response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Google donated $15 million to aid Ukrainian citizens and transformed its Warsaw office into a refugee help center.

Workforce Development

In February 2022, Google announced a $100 million fund aimed at expanding skills training and job placement opportunities for low-income Americans. This initiative was launched in collaboration with nonprofit organizations Year Up, Social Finance, and Merit America.

Google's philanthropic efforts continue to reflect the company's commitment to social and global issues, focusing on education, equality, and emergency relief.

Criticism and Controversies

Google has faced significant criticism across various domains, including issues with tax avoidance, search neutrality, copyright violations, censorship, privacy concerns, and energy consumption. The company has also been scrutinized for its alleged manipulation of search results, misuse of intellectual property, and its business practices, including accusations of monopoly, anti-competitive behavior, and patent infringement.

2018

In 2018, Mozilla program manager Chris Peterson accused Google of intentionally slowing down YouTube on the Firefox browser to boost adoption of Google Chrome. Later in the year, The Intercept reported that Google was developing a censored version of its search engine for China, named Dragonfly, which would blacklist terms related to human rights and democracy. The project was eventually canceled due to internal and external backlash.

2019

In 2019, the DeGoogle movement gained traction, with privacy activists pushing for a reduction in Google's data collection practices. Additionally, Jonathan Nightingale, a former Mozilla executive, accused Google of deliberately sabotaging Firefox over a decade to promote Chrome. In November, Project Nightingale, a partnership between Google and healthcare provider Ascension, came under investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services due to concerns over privacy violations related to the collection of sensitive medical data without proper consent.

2022

In 2022, a National Labor Relations Board ruling indicated that Google had sponsored a secret project called Project Vivian to discourage unionization among its employees. In the same year, it was reported that Google paid Apple $22 billion to remain the default search engine on Safari, underscoring the intense competition for dominance in the search market.

2023

Google faced controversy when it placed an ad against Brazilian Bill No. 2630, a piece of anti-disinformation legislation. The Brazilian government accused Google of undue interference, and the company was forced to remove the ad after facing potential fines.

2024

In March, former Google engineer Linwei Ding was accused of stealing confidential AI data and handing it to Chinese corporations. In May, a Google Cloud misconfiguration led to the accidental deletion of UniSuper's $135 billion Australian pension fund account, affecting half a million users for a week. Google apologized, stating no personal data was compromised.

In August, Google disclosed its legal obligation to provide confidential user data to U.S. authorities when requested. In September, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) provisionally found that Google engaged in anti-competitive practices in the digital advertising sector, harming UK publishers and advertisers. This follows similar investigations in the U.S. and EU, with potential penalties looming for the company.

Antitrust, Privacy, and Other Litigation
Google has faced numerous fines and lawsuits in various regions over the years, with significant antitrust and privacy issues.

European Union

Google has been the subject of multiple antitrust fines in the EU, starting in 2017 when the company was fined €2.42 billion for prioritizing its own shopping comparison service in search results.

• In 2018, the European Commission imposed a €4.34 billion fine for breaching EU antitrust rules by abusing its dominance over Android device manufacturers and network operators to favor Google Search.
• In March 2019, Google faced an additional €1.49 billion fine for preventing fair competition in the online advertising market by imposing anti-competitive restrictions on third-party websites.
• In September 2022, the EU upheld a €4.125 billion fine related to forcing Android phone makers to carry Google's apps.
• In September 2024, the European Court issued a €2.4 billion fine for Google's abuse of dominance in the shopping comparison market, ending a lengthy case that began with a complaint from Foundem in 2009.
  Additionally, the General Court annulled a €1.49 billion fine in the same month, stating the European Commission had failed to prove harm to consumers or innovation.

France

• January 2019: CNIL, France's data privacy regulator, fined Google €50 million for violating GDPR by failing to transparently inform users about data collection for personalized advertising.
• January 2022: Google was fined €150 million by CNIL for not allowing users to easily reject cookies, alongside Facebook.
• March 2024: Google was fined €270 million for using French news content without proper disclosure to train its AI tool, Bard (now Gemini), in violation of prior agreements.

United States

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a landmark antitrust lawsuit in October 2020, accusing Google of maintaining a monopoly in web search and search advertising by paying Apple between $8 billion and $12 billion to remain the default search engine on iPhones.

• In August 2024, a U.S. District Court ruled that Google monopolized online search and text advertising, violating Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
• The Justice Department also proposed breaking up Google’s business in October 2024, potentially forcing the company to divest parts of its operations like Chrome and Android.
• In November 2024, the Justice Department suggested curbing Google’s online search monopoly by requiring it to sell Chrome, share search data with competitors, and end exclusive agreements. Google plans to appeal these proposals, which also include restrictions on AI investments.

Russia

In October 2024, the Russian government imposed a symbolic fine of $20 decillion on Google for blocking pro-Russian YouTube channels during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. This fine is part of broader penalties targeting social media companies for hosting content deemed critical of the Kremlin.

Geolocation

Google has faced privacy concerns over its handling of location data, especially when users have disabled location tracking. In 2020, the FBI used a geofence warrant to obtain location data from Android devices near a Seattle building during Black Lives Matter protests. This raised concerns about the potential for unrelated individuals being included in the data request.

These cases highlight ongoing scrutiny of Google’s market power, business practices, and privacy policies. The company continues to defend itself against accusations of monopolistic behavior and violations of privacy and data protection laws.

Gender Discrimination Lawsuit

In 2017, three women filed a lawsuit against Google, accusing the company of violating California's Equal Pay Act by underpaying female employees. The lawsuit claimed the wage gap between men and women at Google was about $17,000 annually, with women being locked into lower career tracks, resulting in smaller salaries and bonuses.

Settlement

In June 2022, Google reached a $118 million settlement with 15,550 female employees who had worked in California since 2013. As part of the settlement, Google agreed to hire a third party to review its hiring and compensation practices to ensure greater gender equality.

U.S. Government Contracts

Google has been involved in various contracts with the U.S. government, some of which have led to significant controversy.

PRISM Program

In 2013, after revelations about PRISM, a massive NSA electronic surveillance program, reports indicated that Google was among the technology companies that participated in the program starting in 2009, with YouTube joining in 2010.

Project Maven

In 2017, Google entered into a contract with the Department of Defense (DoD) for Project Maven, a project aimed at improving the accuracy of drone strikes through AI-driven software. The involvement sparked protests among Google employees, including senior engineers, who signed a letter in April 2018 urging CEO Sundar Pichai to end the contract. In 2019, Google decided not to renew the contract, bowing to internal pressure.

Cloud Computing Contract

In 2022, Google was awarded a $9 billion contract for cloud computing from the Pentagon, shared with other companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Oracle. This contract continued Google's collaboration with the U.S. military, though it did not involve direct military applications like Project Maven.

References

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• McMahon, L. (2024) Google reacts angrily to report it will have to sell Chrome, BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4g193qezno (Accessed: 12 January 2025).
• Staff, T.M. (2024) What is google?, Tech Monitor. Available at: https://www.techmonitor.ai/what-is/what-is-google/?cf-view (Accessed: 12 January 2025).
• Strickland, J. and Donovan, J. (2019) How google works, HowStuffWorks. Available at: https://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/google.htm (Accessed: 12 January 2025).
• Wielkie Zmiany Na Samym Szczycie Google I alphabet. Założyciele Się Wycofują (no date) INNPoland.pl. Available at: https://innpoland.pl/156631,larry-page-i-sergey-brin-opuszczaja-google-ceo-alphabet-bedzie-pichai (Accessed: 12 January 2025).