“If you’re changing the world, you’re working on important things. You’re excited to get up in the morning.” – Larry Page
Full Name : Sergey Mikhaylovich Brin
Born : 21st August, 1973 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Father : Michael Brin
Mother : Eugenia Brin
Spouse(s) : Anne Wojcicki (m. 2007–2015)
Children : 2
We all have used the Google search engine to look for information on almost topic under the sun. Google has made the world a small village thanks to two close friends, Sergey Brin, and Larry Page. In this article, we take a look at seven interesting facts about Sergey Brin. He is the president of Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc. It’s intended to let you into his successful life story, who he is, and how he got to the top at a very tender age. So, let’s dive in.
7 Interesting Facts about Sergey Brin Google Co-Founder :
1. Education
Sergey and his family immigrated to the USA from the USSR when he was six years old. He went to elementary School at Paint Branch Montessori School in Adelphi, Maryland. The latter went to Eleanor Roosevelt high school. After high school, he joined the University of Maryland where he attained a Bachelor of Science degree. He joined Stanford University for his graduate studies.
2. Birth of a Search Engine
Sergey met and became friends with Larry Page at Stanford. Together they did a paper named “The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine”. They developed the page rank algorithm and realized it could be used to build a search engine that would be of superior quality than those already in existence. They used their dorm rooms as a laboratory and office. They used spare parts from cheap computers to build their first version of Google, which they called BackRub on the Stanford website. It would interest you to note that this two never completed their Ph.D. programs and to date, Sergey is still on study leave. This means he is still a student at Stanford University.
3. The Launch of Google
What started as a Ph.D. project at Stanford had now matured into something big that would change the world of Technology. After successfully designing the BackRub, Brin took a study leave, and together with Larry, they sort financial assistance from relatives and friends so as to launch Google. The name Google was derived from the word ‘Googol’ which means a number with one hundred zeros. Their first workstation was in Susan’s Wojcicki’s garage in Santa Margarita Ave. In Menlo Park, Calif.
4. Very rich But Lives Modestly
Sergey was named the youngest richest person by the Forbes 400 Richest people in the world, in 2004. He was only 35 years of age at that time. He was number 43 and he tied with his friend and partner Larry. In 2018 October he was named the 13th richest man in the world. Despite being very rich at a younger age, Sergey has managed to live modestly. He even drove an environmentally friendly car that is driven by many common Americans. To date, he still dresses up in a t-shirt and jeans.
5. Great Innovator
While his partner is busy with the day to day running of Google Sergey is also busy directing activities in their secret lab called Google x. Here he shows the world what Batman’s high-tech gadgets would be if it were real. He has also launched Google Glass, a new way of sharing information. He looks forward to producing self-driving cars thus changing the world’s transportation systems. He also hopes to make robots that can think, reason and do things better than humans. If this comes true then, it will definitely be a game changer in our lives. For now, it’s a wait and see , situation.
6. A Philanthropist
Together with his ex-wife, they run The Brin Wojcicki Foundation. They have donated to the Michael J. Fox Foundation. In 2004 they supported The Hebrew Immigrant Society by giving them $1 million. He also gave a donation to the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine in 2008. This is where his mother is receiving treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
7. Awards
This article will not be complete if we don’t mention the awards that Sergey has gotten due to his contribution to society through Google. Most of the awards are shared with his co-founder Larry Page. In 2002 the duo were named by MIT TechnologyReviewTR100 as one of the top under- 35 innovators the world. In 2003 they received an honorary MBA from IE Business School. In 2004 they received the highest award in engineering from The Marconi Foundation. They were also made fellows of The Marconi Foundation at the Columbia University. In 2004 Sergey received The Academy of Achievements Golden Plate Award with Larry at a ceremony in Chicago.
Finally, it’s hard to believe that one can be this successful at such a young age. With Sergey’s story, it’s obvious that being in the right environment can enable one to thrive immensely. You can’t begin to imagine what would have become of young Sergey had his father not made that decision to move his family to the United States.
To know about Larry Page, please click here : Larry Page
To Know about Sundar Pichai, please click here : Sundar Pichai
