Google’s initial public offering price in 2004 was $85 per share.
Google’s IPO took place on August 19, 2004, when the company offered 19,605,052 shares on the NASDAQ National Market. The offering raised about $1.67 billion and gave Google a market capitalization of more than $23 billion, transforming the young search company into one of the most closely watched public technology businesses.
The IPO was notable for its auction-based format rather than a conventional pricing process dominated by investment banks. Google used an online auction system arranged by Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse, allowing prospective investors to submit bids. The company had initially expected a higher price range, but the final offering price was set at $85 after market concerns and a cooling technology sector affected demand.
The figure is often confused with Google’s first-day trading performance. The $85 amount was the IPO offering price, not the price at which the stock later traded after public buying and selling began. Google’s listing used the ticker symbol GOOG at the time; the modern GOOGL and GOOG structure came later with Alphabet’s corporate reorganization.