Google’s birthday: why Sept. 4 and Sept. 27 both appear

Google Inc. was incorporated on Sept. 4, 1998. Google marks Sept. 27 with a birthday Doodle.

Sept. 4, 1998: incorporation

Google’s 2018 company history says Google Inc. was incorporated on Sept. 4, 1998. In the same post, Google says the exact date of its founding is up for debate.

Sept. 27: the birthday celebration

Google’s 2026 Doodle, published on Sept. 27, calls it the company’s 28th birthday. The date has not always been fixed: a 2013 Doodle says Google had celebrated on Sept. 7, 8, 26 and, most recently, 27—and that the team was not sure of the exact birthday.

Sources: Google Blog · Google Doodles (2013) · Google Doodles (2026).