Google 2011 Annual Report Download - page 32

ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Overview
Google is a global technology leader focused on improving the ways people connect with information. We
aspire to build products that improve the lives of billions of people globally. Our mission is to organize the world’s
information and make it universally accessible and useful. Our innovations in web search and advertising have
made our website a top internet property and our brand one of the most recognized in the world.
We generate revenue primarily by delivering relevant, cost-effective online advertising. Businesses use our
AdWords program to promote their products and services with targeted advertising. In addition, the third parties
that comprise the Google Network use our AdSense program to deliver relevant ads that generate revenue and
enhance the user experience.
We were incorporated in California in September 1998 and reincorporated in Delaware in August 2003. Our
headquarters are located at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, California 94043, and our telephone
number is [phone]. We completed our initial public offering in August 2004 and our Class A common
stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “GOOG.”
Corporate Highlights
On April 4, 2011, Larry Page, our Co-Founder, assumed day-to-day operations as our Chief Executive Officer.
Since then, Larry’s primary focus has been on “increasing Google’s velocity and execution”—making things much
simpler for our users and improving the overall Google experience while continually creating new products with the
potential to improve the lives of billions of people.
• Android—The growth of our Android operating system in 2011 has been impressive. As of January 2012,
over 250 million Android devices have been activated globally.
• Improved Ad Formats—We made a number of ad improvements in 2011. For instance, with visual ads, not
only can users find theater times for a new movie, users can watch the trailer directly in the ad. Location-
aware search ads can help users find what they are looking for more easily by putting thousands of local
businesses on the map—literally. With the +1 button, people can find businesses recommended by their
friends. After all, ads are just more answers to users’ queries.
• Google+—In June 2011, we launched Google+, a new way to share online just like users do in the real world,
sharing different things with different people. Google+ has added new users every week since its launch.
As of January 2012, over 90 million people have joined Google+.
• Product Prioritization—In an effort to prioritize our product efforts, we decided to shut down a number of
products in 2011, including Google Buzz, Google Desktop, and Google Labs. We learned a lot from these
discontinued products and are putting that learning to work every day in new products such as Google+.
• New and Improved Google Experience—Constant revision and improvement is part of our overarching
philosophy. In 2011, we began work on improving the Google experience guided by three key design
principles:
• Focus—With the new design changes, we have brought forward the things that matter to users and
moved all the other clutter out of their way so that users can better focus on what they need at the
moment.
• Elasticity—The new design allows users to seamlessly transition from one device to another from the
various mobile devices, tablets, high-resolution monitors, and TVs to access the web and have a
consistent visual experience.
• Effortlessness—Our design philosophy is to combine power with simplicity. We want to keep our look
simple and clean, but behind the seemingly simple design, use technologies like HTML5, WebGL, and
the latest, fastest browsers to make sure users have all the power of the web behind them.
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