The order of search results returned by Google is based, in part, on a priority rank system called PageRank which was originally developed in 1996 by Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Scott Hassan. Google is the most-visited website in the world; as of 2025, it has a 90% share of the global search engine market. It also uses generative AI (including a dedicated AI Mode) to respond to queries. The company has received criticism involving issues such as privacy concerns, tax avoidance, censorship, search neutrality, antitrust, and abuse of its monopoly position.
In January 2024, YouTube had reached more than 2.7 billion monthly active users, who collectively watched more than one billion hours of video every day. Google has signed a letter of intent with Fortum regarding the development of new nuclear power and announced plans to build new data centers in Kajaani, Vaala and Muhos. In September 2026, Google announced it would invest $13 billion over the next two years in Finnish AI infrastructure, technology development, and the company’s operations in Finland. In March 2026, Google signed an energy pledge at the White House which required them to bear the cost of new electricity generation to power their data centers.
Google’s third subsea cable, Equiano, will connect Lisbon (Portugal) with Lagos (Nigeria) and Cape Town (South Africa). The first cable, named Curie, connects California with Chile and was completed on November 15, 2019. The Google Play store has been challenged by parents and app makers for fees it charges on in-app purchases. Google was found to have violated anti-trust law with its monopolization of the internet search and advertising market. Google donates to climate change denial political groups including the State Policy Network and the Competitive Enterprise Institute. In 2026, Google illegally Google Pay Slots removed 250,000 trees for a datacenter in Finland without asking for approval.
