x.companyX, the moonshot factory

Explore X Projects Life at X Careers Stories + News Moonshot Thinking Connect expand_more Newsletter LinkedIn YouTube Medium Instagram Twitter Alumni Network Learn expand_more Contact Story Archive Privacy + Terms Google Alphabet Loading We create radical new technologies to solve some of the world’s hardest problems We create radical new technologies to solve some of the world’s hardest problems X - The Moonshot Factory X is a diverse group of inventors and entrepreneurs who build and launch technologies that aim to improve the lives of millions, even billions, of people. Our goal: 10x impact on the world’s most intractable problems, not just 10% improvement. We approach projects that have the aspiration and riskiness of research with the speed and ambition of a startup. Public X Projects Public X Projects What if you could read a plant like you read a book? Explore Mineral What if we could protect the ocean while feeding the world sustainably? Explore Tidal What if robots could learn to help us with everyday life? Explore Everyday Robots What if beams of light could provide global access to fast, affordable internet? Explore Taara Stories + News Stories + News We choose to go to the moon Moonshot Thinking Introducing Tidal A moonshot to protect the ocean and feed humanity sustainably X Projects WIRED UK Inside X, Google's top-secret moonshot factory X aims to pursue technological breakthroughs by taking crazy ideas seriously In the news Introducing the Everyday Robot Project Teaching robots how to help us in our everyday lives X Projects Entering the era of computational agriculture Why agriculture is ripe for moonshot thinking X Projects WIRED UK How to unleash creativity on the world’s biggest problems Astro Teller, the head of X, reflects on 10 years of work on projects such as internet-beaming balloons and sterilizing mosquitoes — and some even crazier ideas that never quite saw the light of day. In the news Making Black history every month Celebrating past accomplishments and building a future where everyone can thrive Moonshot Thinking X Timeline X Timeline Ten years of moonshots - from self driving cars to computational agriculture Ten years of moonshots In 2010, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin decided to form a new division of the company to work on moonshots: far-out, sci-fi sounding technologies that could one day make the world a radically better place. It was a grand experiment — some might say a moonshot unto itself. 10 years in, X has incubated hundreds of different moonshot projects, many of which have gone on to become independent businesses. 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 - 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 The Moonshot Factory is created Google’s new division gets a placeholder name: X. It has a first project: self-driving cars. Is it a research center? An incubator? A non-profit? No, it’s a moonshot factory looking 5-10 years out into the future, aiming to solve some of the world’s hardest problems. Google’s new division gets a placeholder name: X. It has a first... An early flurry of invention The first batch of X projects begins, including wearable computer, Google Glass, and Google Brain, a team breaking new ground in artificial intelligence. Other teams tackle indoor maps (Insight) and improving photography on mobile devices (GCam). The first batch of X projects begins, including wearable computer,... Hardest things first Audacious idea: deliver Internet from giant balloons flying freely on stratospheric winds. A determined team sets out to prove this was impossible — the opposite of what most people do. By tackling the hardest parts of the problem first, they get Loon flying and cement a mindset that becomes a cornerstone of X’s culture. Audacious idea: deliver Internet from giant balloons flying freely on... A breakthrough for Brain Brain creates one of the largest-ever neural networks for machine learning. The team feeds random images of cats extracted from 10 million YouTube videos, but they don’t tell the machines in advance what a cat looks like. The results are unprecedented, proving that machine learning is ready to improve many of the tools we use everyday. Brain creates one of the largest-ever neural networks for machine... Glass Explorers The Google Glass Explorer program launches, inviting the public to teach X how a wearable device could be useful in their daily lives. Athletes, concert pianists, hair stylists, and firefighters help the team gather learnings they never could have in a lab. The Google Glass Explorer program launches, inviting the public to... A first in New Zealand 30 lighter-than-air solar-powered Loon balloons launch in the Canterbury area of New Zealand. Sheep farmer Charles Nimmo is the first person in the world to connect to balloon-powered internet. 30 lighter-than-air solar-powered Loon balloons launch in the... A milestone for Makani Makani’s 20kw prototype energy kite successfully achieves a special kind of flight called “crosswind flight” that the team will use to sustainably generate electricity from the wind. Makani’s 20kw prototype energy kite successfully achieves a special... Wing's first real-world delivery Project Wing's self-flying drone drops off candy and dog treats to a cattle rancher in Australia in its first tests outside the US. Project Wing's self-flying drone drops off candy and dog treats to a... Early prototypes: Is that a koala? The Self-Driving Car project develops the “Firefly” prototype, built from the ground up for fully autonomous operation. Designed to be neighborhood friendly and approachable, many insist this early prototype looks like a koala. The Self-Driving Car project develops the “Firefly” prototype, built... Life sciences converge Health professionals have long aimed to move treatment from largely reactive to proactive. A collection of new technologies developed at X, including a smart contact lens, come together around this mission and ultimately graduate from X to form the Alphabet company, Verily. Health professionals have long aimed to move treatment from largely... The X in Alphabet Alphabet forms in August 2015, separating Google from a set of smaller companies working on very different problems. Still an innovation lab, but now a separate division within Alphabet, Google X becomes X, and its job is to generate moonshot-based businesses for Alphabet. Alphabet forms in August 2015, separating Google from a set of smaller... No ordinary ride The Self-Driving Car team completes the world’s first fully self-driving ride on public roads in Austin, TX — no steering wheel, pedals, or test drivers involved. Steve Mahan, the former CEO of the Santa Clara Valley Blind Center, is the inaugural passenger. The Self-Driving Car team completes the world’s first fully... Introducing Waymo The Self-Driving Car team, X’s first moonshot project, graduates to become its own Alphabet company with the mission of building a better driver and making it safe and easy for everyone to get around. The Self-Driving Car team, X’s first moonshot project, graduates to... The factory operating manual Over several years of moonshot-taking, X notices some of the cultural habits that make audacious thinking and radical creativity easier — and repeatable. Over several years of moonshot-taking, X notices some of the cultural... Testing in the Australian skies Project Wing begins delivering food and other goods to families in rural areas around Canberra, Australia. Project Wing begins delivering food and other goods to families in... A new chapter for Glass The Glass Explorer program evolves into Glass Enterprise Edition when the team learns that workers in fields such as manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare find wearable devices highly useful for getting the information they need while their hands are busy. The Glass Explorer program evolves into Glass Enterprise Edition ...