Alphabet, Google's parent company, adopted its current corporate name in 2015. Google announced the restructuring on August 10, 2015, creating Alphabet as a new holding company and making Google its largest subsidiary.
The change separated Google's core internet businesses from several ambitious projects, including life sciences, autonomous vehicles, and investment operations. Larry Page became Alphabet's chief executive, while Sundar Pichai became Google's CEO. The corporate reorganization took effect on October 2, 2015.
Alphabet did not replace Google as the consumer-facing brand. Google Search, YouTube, Android, and Google Cloud remained associated with Google, while Alphabet provided the broader corporate structure. A common mix-up is treating Alphabet as a completely new business; it was primarily a parent-company reorganization of Google and its related ventures.
Alphabet's shares continued trading under Google's existing stock tickers, GOOG and GOOGL, after the restructuring. The company later reported Google and its “Other Bets” as separate business segments.