- Before the start of the Google I / O conference, the firm finally reveals what the “I / O” means
- It is not an abbreviation of Imput/Outpu nor of “Innovation in the open”
- The “I/O” of Google I/O has a more complex origin
Today, Google will be full of new features during its Google I/O conference. And compared to previous editions, it will be a very special event for the firm. Indeed, in addition to presenting Android 14 and launching new products, it should also say more about its plans for generative artificial intelligence: Google’s long-awaited response to ChatGPT. But beyond that, it is also the fifteenth anniversary of this conference. An opportunity for Google to come back to the origins of this annual mass, and to reveal (finally!) the meaning of the “I/O” of Google I/O.
Like most people, you probably think that I/O simply means “Input/Output”. Others believe this I/O stands for “innovation in the open”. Google explains that these interpretations are not wrong. However, the true origin of I/O is much more complex, and in reality it is a reference to the “Google” brand.
Google Gogol !
Some of you may already know: to find the name “Google” its creators were inspired by Gogol. In mathematics, it is a number that is written with the number 1 followed by 100 zeros, or 10 powers of 100. And the I/O of Google I/O is an abbreviation of Gogol. The I is actually a representation of the first digit 1, while the O is a representation of the first zero of Gogol.
“A Gogol is a one, followed by 100 zeros, so that’s where the I/O name and logo come from. We just took the first and zero, and left all the other zeros. It all comes back to Google”explains Lorin Platto, Director of Events and Experiences Operations for the firm. “And then, while we were thinking, we started talking about what this one and this zero could mean. This is where the slogans “input/output” and “innovation in the open” come from.”
Google also specifies that the fact of having chosen such a complicated origin for the name of its annual conference was a deliberate choice. The firm has always been a fan of easter eggs, features or messages hidden in its products. And the name Google I/O, before this revelation, was one addressed to the developer community.
The first Google I/O took place in 2007
Google also returns to the history of its annual mass. In 2006, it organized a first event called Geo Developer Day. This was dedicated to the firm’s first developer tools, which was the Google Maps API. But a year later, in 2007, Google released many other tools and decided to organize a larger conference: it was the first Google conference in the current format.
However, in 2007 the event was still called Google Developer Day. And at the time, the firm did not expect it to attract many people. “The San Jose event had only been open for an hour before reaching capacity. And that’s when we realized that the following year, we really had to take it up a notch”remembers Lorin.
In 2008, Google therefore decided to organize the second edition in a larger space. And by the way, it adopts the name “Google I/O” for its annual mass. Over the years, the I/O conference has been an opportunity for Google to present its latest innovations, and to impress the world.
