Bizzare Facts

The most powerful internet company in the world, one whose data centers now cost billions, began with a storage solution built from a children’s toy. In **1996**, when Larry Page and Sergey Brin were developing their 'BackRub' search engine at Stanford, they faced a logistical problem: they needed an inexpensive, flexible way to mount ten 4GB hard drives to house the enormous amount of data they were indexing.

Their solution was to use **LEGO bricks**. They built a colorful, surprisingly effective enclosure that was both cheap and easily modifiable, allowing them to stack and expand their server array as their data storage needs grew. This resourceful use of the toy was born out of necessity and the typical budget constraints of a university research project.

The original **LEGO storage system** is now an iconic relic displayed at Google's Mountain View headquarters, serving as a physical metaphor for the company's philosophy. It embodies the ethos of rapid, inexpensive prototyping and playful ingenuity that defined the early Silicon Valley startup culture. It’s a wonderful reminder that even the biggest global empires start small, built on simple, off-the-shelf parts.