Stanford PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, created Google, a search engine initially rejected by Yahoo and Excite. Google’s AdWords revolutionized digital advertising, propelling its growth. Yahoo missed opportunities to acquire Google, ultimately losing its competitive edge in the search market. Stanford PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, created Google, a search engine initially rejected by Yahoo and Excite. Google’s AdWords revolutionized digital advertising, propelling its growth. Yahoo missed opportunities to acquire Google, ultimately losing its competitive edge in the search market. Economic Times