Early Life & Education

Sergey Mikhailovich Brin was born on August 21, 1973, in Moscow, Soviet Union (now Russia). His family, of Jewish heritage, emigrated to the United States in 1979 to escape discrimination in the Soviet Union. They settled in Maryland, where his father, a mathematician, and his mother, a NASA scientist, encouraged his interest in mathematics and computers.

Brin attended the University of Maryland, College Park, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Computer Science in 1993. He then pursued a Ph.D. in Computer Science at Stanford University, where he met Larry Page—his future business partner.

Founding of Google

In 1996, while at Stanford, Brin and Page developed a research project called Backrub, which analyzed web links to improve search rankings. This project evolved into Google, which they officially founded in 1998. Google revolutionized internet search with its PageRank algorithm and quickly became the dominant search engine.

Google’s Growth & Alphabet Inc.

Under Brin’s leadership, Google expanded beyond search into products like Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube, and Android. In 2015, Google restructured its operations under a new parent company, Alphabet Inc., with Brin serving as its President until he stepped down in 2019.

Personal Life & Philanthropy

Brin has been involved in various philanthropic initiatives, particularly through the Brin Wojcicki Foundation, which supports Parkinson’s disease research. He was married to Anne Wojcicki, co-founder of 23andMe, from 2007 to 2015. He later married Nicole Shanahan in 2018, with whom he has a child.

Net Worth & Legacy

As of 2024, Brin remains one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, with a net worth exceeding $100 billion. His contributions to technology, artificial intelligence, and philanthropy continue to shape the digital world.