Sergey Brin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sergey Brin
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| Сергей Брин | |
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Brin in 2010
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| Born | August 21, 1973 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
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| Nationality | American |
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| Children | 3 |
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Sergey Mikhailovich Brin (Russian: Сергей Михайлович Брин; born August 21, 1973) is an American computer expert and businessman. He is best known for co-founding Google with Larry Page.
Sergey Brin was the president of Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc., until December 2019. He and Larry Page are still co-founders, major shareholders, and board members at Alphabet. As of December 2024, Brin is one of the richest people in the world.
Brin moved to the United States from the Soviet Union when he was six years old. He studied mathematics and computer science at the University of Maryland, College Park. Later, he went to Stanford University for his PhD in computer science. There, he met Larry Page. Together, they created a new kind of web search engine. This program became very popular at Stanford. Brin then left his PhD studies to start Google in a garage in Menlo Park.
Contents
Early Life and Schooling
Sergey Mikhailovich Brin was born on August 21, 1973, in Moscow. At that time, Moscow was part of the Soviet Union. His parents, Mikhail and Eugenia Brin, were both graduates of Moscow State University. His father was a mathematics professor, and his mother was a researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
The Brin family lived in a small apartment in central Moscow. In 1977, his father decided the family should move away from the Soviet Union. They applied to leave in 1978. Because of this, his parents lost their jobs. They waited for eight months, taking temporary jobs, until they were allowed to leave in May 1979.
The Brin family lived in Vienna and Paris for a short time. They received help from a group called the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. They arrived in the United States on October 25, 1979.
Brin went to elementary school at Paint Branch Montessori School in Adelphi, Maryland. He also learned a lot at home. His father, a math professor, encouraged him to study mathematics. His family also helped him keep his Russian language skills. He went to Eleanor Roosevelt High School.
In September 1990, Brin started at the University of Maryland. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and mathematics in 1993, when he was 19. In 1993, he worked as an intern at Wolfram Research, a company that makes software.
Brin then began studying computer science at Stanford University. He received his Master of Science degree in 1995.
Creating the Google Search Engine
Sergey Brin met Larry Page during an orientation for new students at Stanford. At first, they often disagreed. But after spending more time together, they became very close friends. Brin was interested in finding ways to organize large amounts of data. Page wanted to find out how important a research paper was based on how many other papers mentioned it.
Together, they wrote a paper about how to build a large-scale web search engine. They created something called the PageRank algorithm. This algorithm helped them figure out how important a web page was by looking at the links pointing to it. They realized this could make a much better search engine than any that existed at the time.
They started working in Page's dorm room, using spare parts from computers. They connected their new search engine to Stanford's internet network. Their project grew quickly, and it even caused problems for Stanford's computer systems because it used so much power!
After Page's room was full of equipment, they moved to Brin's dorm room. This became their office and programming center. They tested their new search engine designs on the internet.
Page and Brin used basic HTML to make a simple search page. They didn't have a web designer. They also used any computer parts they could find to build the power needed for many users to search at once. As their search engine became more popular at Stanford, they needed more servers to handle all the searches. In August 1996, the first version of Google was put on the Stanford website.
By early 1997, their search engine, then called BackRub, could take a search query and give a list of web pages ranked by how important they were. Page said that by mid-1998, they realized how big their project could become: "Pretty soon, we had 10,000 searches a day. And we figured, maybe this is really real."
Some people have compared Brin and Page's work to Johannes Gutenberg, who invented the printing press. Gutenberg's invention helped spread knowledge quickly. In the same way, Google has made it much easier for people to find information. The authors of The Google Story wrote: "Not since Gutenberg... has any new invention empowered individuals, and transformed access to information, as profoundly as Google."
Other Interests
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In 2008, Brin invested $4.5 million in Space Adventures. This company helps people travel into space.
Brin and Page also own a special Boeing 767–200 airplane and a Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet. They pay to keep these planes and two other jets owned by Google executives at Moffett Federal Airfield. Their Boeing plane has scientific equipment installed by NASA. This allows scientists to collect data during flights.
Brin also supports LTA Research & Exploration LLC, a company that builds airships. In October 2023, their large airship, Pathfinder 1, was allowed to start flight testing. It is the biggest airship to fly since the Hindenberg disaster.
Personal Life
Sergey Brin was raised Jewish, but he is not religious.
In May 2007, Brin married biotech analyst and businesswoman Anne Wojcicki. They had a son in 2008 and a daughter in 2011. They divorced in June 2015.
On November 7, 2018, he married Nicole Shanahan, who founded a company that works with legal technology. They have a daughter, born in late 2018. Brin and Shanahan separated in December 2021 and their divorce was finalized in 2023.
Brin's mother, Eugenia, has Parkinson's disease. In 2008, he gave money to the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where his mother received treatment. Brin has donated over $1 billion to help fund research into this disease.
Brin and Wojcicki used to run The Brin Wojcicki Foundation together. Brin now uses the Sergey Brin Family Foundation for his giving. They have given a lot of money to organizations like The Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.
Awards and Achievements
2002–2009
- In 2002, Brin and Larry Page were named among the top 100 innovators under 35 by MIT Technology Review.
- In 2003, they both received an honorary MBA degree from IE Business School. This was to honor their spirit of starting new businesses.
- In 2004, Brin and Page received the Marconi Foundation Prize. This is a very high award in engineering. They were honored for creating something that changed how we find information today.
- In 2004, Brin received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
2009–Present
- In November 2009, Forbes magazine named Brin and Page the fifth most powerful people in the world.
- In February 2009, Brin was chosen to be part of the National Academy of Engineering. This is a very high honor for engineers. He was recognized for his leadership in developing fast ways to find information on the internet.
- As of September 2024, Brin is one of the richest people in the world.
Appearances in Film
| Year | Title | Role |
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| 2013 | The Internship | Himself (cameo) |
Images for kids
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The mathematical website interlinking that the PageRank algorithm facilitates, illustrated by size-percentage correlation of the circles. The algorithm was named after Page himself.
See also
In Spanish: Serguéi Brin para niños
