When Nobody Knew What Google Was Worth
On August 19, 2004, Google went public on the Nasdaq at $85 per share, raising $1.67 billion in one of the most anticipated IPOs in tech history. Here's the funny part — Wall Street wasn't even sure it would work. The Dutch auction format they chose was unconventional. Analysts were skeptical about the valuation. Plenty of smart people in suits had serious doubts. And yet, within a year, that $85 share price had more than tripled.
That moment is a masterclass in something we see constantly in tech: the people building the thing often understand its value long before the market does. Larry Page and Sergey Brin weren't arrogant — they were just deeply close to what they had created. They knew what search meant to a world drowning in information. The lesson for anyone building a product, leading a team, or pitching a client isn't "ignore the skeptics." It's "do the work to know your own value as clearly as they did."
Twenty years later, that IPO story still matters. Whether you're a startup founder trying to explain your worth to investors, a tech lead justifying a platform migration to your CFO, or a consultant making the case for a better process — clarity and conviction about why what you're building matters is the whole game. The market catches up eventually. Your job is to stay focused long enough to let it.