Google created the Android operating system and was founded as BackRub in 1996.
Larry Page and Sergey Brin began developing a search project called BackRub at Stanford University in 1996. The project was renamed Google, a play on “googol,” in 1997, and Google Inc. was incorporated in 1998. Its search engine became the foundation of a much broader technology business.
Google acquired Android Inc. in 2005. Android became a widely used mobile operating system and helped Google extend its services into smartphones, tablets, televisions, cars, and other devices. Google also operates products such as YouTube, Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Cloud.
Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet, which became its parent company in 2015. That distinction matters: Google is the operating company and brand, while Alphabet is the publicly traded parent. This question is separate from asking which company owns Google; the answer here concerns Google’s own origin and product history.