Here’s How Google I/O Got Its Name: A Look at Its Origins Ahead of the Company’s Biggest Event

Google is gearing up for the Google I/O 2023 later tonight, which will showcase a slew of new hardware such as the Pixel Fold, Pixel 7a, Pixel Tab, and more. We can also expect the tech giant to unveil Bard AI at the event.

Prior to I/O 2023, Google explains how the event got its name. And no, it doesn't stand for input/output, as was previously believed. Some thought that it means "innovation in the open," which isn't exactly right either.

The History of Google I/O

This year's Google I/O event marks the annual event's fifteenth anniversary, and Google took a walk down the memory lane to reminisce about how the developer conference evolved over the years.

Most interestingly, the brand revealed the true meaning behind the I/O moniker. Google harkened back to May 2006, which saw the company's first-ever developer conference, the Geo Developer Day.

As the event kept getting bigger, it was moved to a bigger venue at San Francisco's Moscone Center West. And that's where the event got the I/O name that we all recognize. I/O was based on googol, which was also the basis of the company's name.

Lorin Platto, director of events and experiences operations at Google explains, "A googol is a one, followed by 100 zeroes, so that's where the I/O name and logo came from. We just took the first one and zero, and we left off all the other zeroes. It all goes back to Google."

People who thought it stood for input/output or "innovation in the open" aren't entirely wrong either. "And then as we were brainstorming, we started talking about what that one and zero could mean. That's where the 'input / output' and 'innovation in the open' slogans came from," Platto says.

With that mystery finally solved, we can move on to the actual Google I/O event that's taking place tonight. Google I/O 2023 will be livestreamed on Google's official YouTube channel. Those residing in India can watch the event at 10:30 pm IST.