Alphabet was created in 2015 under a structure led by Google co-founder Larry Page as CEO.
The reorganization separated Google’s core internet businesses from several other projects, including health technology, life sciences, and research initiatives. Larry Page became Alphabet’s chief executive, while Sergey Brin became its president. Sundar Pichai became Google’s CEO and later succeeded Page as Alphabet CEO in 2019.
Alphabet’s structure was intended to give individual businesses greater independence while allowing the Google advertising engine to remain the group’s central operation. Google Search, YouTube, Android, and Google Cloud remain among its best-known businesses.
A common mix-up is treating Alphabet and Google as identical corporate entities. Google is Alphabet’s largest subsidiary; Alphabet is the publicly traded parent company created through the 2015 reorganization.