Sergey Brin

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sergey_Brin_Ted_2010.jpgSteve Jurvetson [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]We live in a world where the world’s information is at our fingertips. We live in a world where the internet’s fountain of knowledge is accessible to all and easy to find. We live in a world where a Google search is all it takes to answer any question. This miracle is thanks to an algorithm made by the co-founder of Google, Sergey Brin. Brin was a six-year-old immigrant who moved from Moscow, Russia. He was  curious child who ended up developing a passion for science after getting his first computer (“Sergey Brin”). He even ended up studying Science and getting a Master Degree at Stanford University (“Sergey Brin and Larry Page”). This is where he met his future partner Larry Page. Together Brin and Page created an algorithm for a research project that would one day become the search engine Google (“Sergey Brin and Larry Page”). In the early days, the internet was like the wild west, a mess with no good ways to find the information you needed. This was the goal for Brin’s research project, to help people find the information they needed.  This is what a hero is, a person that helps others. Someone that helps people not for personal gain but for the prosperity of others. Sergey Brin the man behind Google made more than just a search engine, he has made the modern day Delphi which is educating the minds of millions and funding the research that will be saving just as many.

Sergey Brin is responsible for making the information of the world easily accessible so that anyone has the power to educate themselves on anything. This was thanks to the teamwork of him and his partner Larry Page:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sergey_Brin_Ted_2010.jpgSteve Jurvetson [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]For two years--from the beginning of 1996 to the end of 1997--Brin and Page worked together on a research project they hoped would help people make sense of the vast amount of information available on the Web. They developed a new type of Internet search technology that they called PageRank. This program used a set of complex mathematical algorithms to rank Web sites in order of importance, based on the number of links they received from other sites. "There are millions of variables, but we manage to do a lot of math, very fast, and in the end, we rank pages in a way that's very close to how you would do it intuitively," Brin explained. (“Sergey Brin and Larry Page”). Brin worked on his project for an entire year, his motivation, the people it would end up helping. He wanted to make sure that when people went on the internet they wouldn't have to struggle to find the information that they needed. He did this for the betterment of others unselfishly, with his only intent being to make others lives easier. Brin continued to work hard and create a business centered around making the world's information easier to find: “Brin and Page called their fledgling business Google. They based the name on the mathematical term "googol," which means 10 to the power of 100 (10100). According to Brin, this enormous number represented the ambitious mission of their company: "to organize the world's information, making it universally accessible and useful” (“Sergey Brin and Larry Page”). Brin’s motivation hasn't died out yet and neither has his dedication. Brin’s mission was to make the information of the world more accessible and he has succeeded. His search engine is by far the most popular in the world and on a daily basis is educating people from the comfort of their phone. Google’s accessibility isn’t the only thing they have running for them, however. Brin’s search engine is the most popular for a good reason. Their satisfaction rate is exceptionally high: “Google [has] enjoyed an exceptional rate of customer satisfaction, with 97 percent of users reporting that they found the information they were looking for most or all of the time” (“Sergey Brin and Larry Page”). Google's rate of satisfaction shows more than that, however. It shows that Brin’s goal of educating the world is not only coming true but also flourishing. Sergey Brin has truly made the information of the world accessible to all.

Brin is a game changer who has changed the world forever and is charitably investing in a better healthier future. Brin has made a lot of money while educating the world and that money often goes to the same place, his foundations. One of which being “The Brin Wojcicki Foundation [which] is helmed by… Sergey Brin and his wife Anne Wojcicki. The two are now separated, but so far there's no indication that their foundation will be collateral damage of that process” (Adeniji). Brin’s foundations are a big way of how he uses his successes to help the world. He is not only charitable but also continues to be even after something so difficult as a divorce. His passion is shown through his donations. He has donated over $160 million for Parkinson’s research in just the past four years” (Adeniji). That’s not something you do without some genuine passion. The reason for this passion comes down to family:  “In 1999, Brin's mother was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease” (Adeniji). The donations don’t come from just anywhere they come from the heart. He is donating to make sure that his mom and others like her will have a cure someday.  Brin is a hardworking man that is dedicated to making the world a better place.

His dedication has created a widespread resource that anyone can use. Slowly but surely making the world a more educated place. He is also funding the research that will help make the world a healthier place. He does this because he knows how to build a better future. The future belongs to and will be built by the young, with education being their tools. However, without the tools, they need they will be powerless. No one sees this as much as Sergey Brin, Google is free to use tool for a reason. It allows for anyone to have the power to learn about anything,  It allows for the curious to educate themselves, the educated to achieve, and the successful to inspire. Brin does not only allow the curious to thrive but also assists them on their way. He helps brilliant minds continue to make brilliant discoveries, “Brin [continues to] fund the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences” (Adeniji). The Breakthrough Prize is an award that honors advancements in biology and our overall understanding of life.  Brin is a selfless, compassionate, and kind individual who continues to do so much for others. His foundation, “The Brin Wojcicki Foundation, has provided significant support to the Tipping Point Community, which is trying to reduce poverty in the Bay Area” (Adeniji). Sergey Brin is a devoted entrepreneur who inspires me greatly. He is a wildly successful scientist who has made a huge impact in his field. He is also a compassionate soul who has helped so many people in so many ways. He is the reason that all the information in the world is in our pockets. He is the reason that all the information we could ever want to know is just a swipe and a few clicks away. He is the reason that we live in a world where a Google search is all it takes to answer any question.

Works Cited

Adeniji, Ade. “The Brin Wojcicki Foundation Is Getting Pretty Big. Where's the Money Going?”

Inside Philanthropy, Inside Philanthropy, 10 Feb. 2015, www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2015/2/10/the-brin-wojcicki-foundation-is-getting-pretty-big-wheres-th.html. search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx direct=true&db=b6h&AN=55596212&site=brc-live.

“Sergey Brin and Larry Page.” Sergey Brin & Larry Page (Biography Today), Jan. 2010, p. 1. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=b6h&AN=34912932&site=brc-live.

"Sergey Brin." Gale Biography in Context, Gale, 2003. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1650002898/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=3919a8c0. Accessed 21 Mar. 2019.