Alphabet became the first internet search company to reach a $1 trillion market capitalization in January 2020. Alphabet is the parent company of Google, whose search engine and advertising businesses provide most of the group’s revenue.
Google’s search dominance created a massive advertising platform by matching users’ queries with relevant commercial messages. Alphabet also owns businesses and projects outside search, including YouTube, Google Cloud, Android, and the experimental units grouped under Other Bets.
Alphabet was formed in 2015 when Google reorganized into a holding-company structure. The change separated the core Google businesses from longer-term projects while allowing the founders and leadership to oversee the wider group.
The milestone is sometimes attributed simply to Google because Google is the consumer-facing brand. However, Alphabet is the publicly traded corporate entity whose shares determine the group’s market capitalization.