Over 1.4 billion monthly active users (around half of all email users) – this is how many of us are using Gmail.

Here’s how they started and succeeded unlike tens of other products, launched and killed by Google:

1. In 1996, Paul Buchheit started to build web-based email and quit/failed a bunch of times.

2. In 1999, Paul joined Google as its 23rd employee.

3. In August 2001, he got a specific task – to create a web-based email service.

“Larry Page said normal users would look more like us in 10 years’ time, so we focused on solving our own email problems.”

4. From 2001 till 2004 they have created a bunch of disrupting revolutionary things:

4.1. A serious search engine for all your emails.

4.2. This led to the decision to give each user 1GB of space.

4.3. Hotmail and Yahoo Mail had dog-slow interfaces, that reloaded the entire web page after each action.

Gmail team developed a new technology called AJAX, that was working more like super fast desktop software. Then it became a revolution – now every website is using this tech.

4.4. They grouped emails with the same subject/recipient into easy-to-navigate threads, with any duplicated text automatically concealed.

4.5. While other free email services showed flashy graphical banner ads, Gmail showed little text ads.

5. In early 2004, they tested Gmail on other employees and almost everybody was using it.

6. April 1, 2004, the day Gmail notified the press and launched the service publicly, but gave access (invitation) to only a 1-3 thousand of users (because they couldn’t physically handle more).

7. Limited access made everyone crave it, bidding for invites on eBay sent prices shooting up to $150 and beyond.

8. Google kept increasing the number of invites each user could issue, but it didn’t open up the service to all comers until Valentine’s Day, 2007. Then it just exploded virally through word of mouth.

Let’s summarize the main growth hacking secrets of Gmail:

1. Disrupting revolutionary service, 500 times better compared to competitors.

2. Limited invitation-only access.

3. This resulted in an explosive viral growth.