Google turned 28 on Monday, marking its birthday with a retro-themed doodle on its homepage. The doodle celebrated the search giant’s journey from a Stanford research project to one of the world’s most influential technology companies.

The retro design took users back to the early days of the web, a nod to the company’s roots. Google’s doodles have become a tradition, marking anniversaries and cultural moments with creative artwork.

Founded in 1998, Google has grown far beyond search into cloud computing, artificial intelligence, smartphones and more. Its parent company Alphabet is now one of the most valuable companies in the world.

The birthday comes at a time of intense competition in AI, with rivals racing to build the next generation of models. Google continues to invest heavily in AI research and products.

The company’s journey began in a Stanford dorm room with a mission to organise the world’s information. The doodle tradition itself has become a beloved part of internet culture. Google’s 28th year finds it competing with OpenAI, Anthropic and others in the AI race. The company says it remains focused on making information universally accessible and useful.