Alphabet, Google’s parent company, was created in 2015 under the leadership of Google co-founder Larry Page.
Page announced the restructuring in August 2015 and became Alphabet’s chief executive when the new holding company was formally established. Sergey Brin, Google’s other co-founder, became Alphabet’s president. Sundar Pichai succeeded Page as Google’s CEO and later became Alphabet’s CEO in 2019.
The reorganization separated Google’s core internet products from several other businesses and research projects. Google remained Alphabet’s largest subsidiary, while activities such as life sciences, autonomous vehicles, and other “moonshot” projects could operate with more independence.
Alphabet trades on Nasdaq under the symbols GOOGL and GOOG. The two classes differ in voting rights, but both represent Alphabet equity. The company’s structure is therefore distinct from Google itself, even though Google remains its best-known operating business.