In May 2004 I wrote:
It took Microsoft 15 years to hit $1 billion in annual sales (it was the first software company to do so). Google hit $961.8 million in 2003, its fifth year in business, and will blow by the $1 billion mark this year. To reach $1 billion in annual sales, Microsoft had to develop and sell hundreds of products (including books and hardware), supported by thousands of employees. Google has barely one thousand employees and receives 95 percent of its revenue from the tiny ads that accompany its search results.
Today comes word that Google sales hit $1.032 billion in its most recent quarter, almost double its results for the same quarter a year ago.
When a company improves on a billion-dollar year by having a billion-dollar quarter, what's next?