Billionaire Richard Branson reveals Shakespeare's role in inspiring Google's creation

How William Shakespeare inspired Google's creation.

Billionaire Richard Branson disclosed that the famed poet and playwright William Shakespeare played a significant role in the inception of Google. Branson shared this intriguing piece of information on LinkedIn, recounting a conversation with Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

"Where do you find inspiration in your career?" Branson began his post. "I'll never forget when Sergey Brin told me that Shakespeare had no small part to play in the founding of one of the world's biggest companies."

Branson elaborated on the conversation, explaining how Brin had drawn inspiration from Shakespeare's iconic phrase, "'To be, or not to be, that is the question.'" According to Branson, Brin became particularly intrigued by the need to answer such fundamental questions effectively. This revelation occurred during a Virgin Voyages cruise, where Brin shared the backstory of Google's creation.

At the time, 'Ask Jeeves' was the dominant search engine, Branson explained. However, it required users to frame their queries as precisely worded questions, often yielding unsatisfactory results. Brin decided to test the search engine with the phrase "To be or not to be," only to find that Ask Jeeves struggled to provide relevant answers. This shortcoming became a driving force for Brin and Larry Page to develop a more comprehensive algorithm capable of handling various search terms, regardless of phrasing.

"'To be' was the choice Sergey took, which is always a good idea!" Branson noted. He also recounted a humorous exchange with Larry Page, where Page acknowledged Branson's entrepreneurial accomplishments. Branson had quipped in response, "I'll swap!"

Branson concluded by reflecting on the role of frustration in sparking innovation. "The process of turning a feeling of frustration into a business idea that no one has ever thought of never fails to put a spring in my step," he wrote, acknowledging that while Shakespeare may not have been a direct source of inspiration for him, the ability to transform challenges into opportunities remains a common thread among successful entrepreneurs.

The billionaire's post went viral with a flurry of reactions from LinkedIn users.

"That's such an interesting perspective on inspiration," a user wrote. Another user commented, "Yes, I remembered Ask Jeeves, I honestly used to get annoyed with that search engine and most of the time, when you think you've worded your phrase in the most simplest way. You end up getting gibberish. Google's done well for itself and nowadays everyone just says ask Google."

A third user remarked, "Thanks so much Richard Branson for these inspiration words, a leaf to pick from. Kudos."