Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) is an American multinational Internet and software corporation specialized in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. It hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products,[5] and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program.[6][7] The company was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were both attending Stanford University. Google was first incorporated as a privately held company on September 4, 1998, and its initial public offering followed on August 19, 2004.