Alphabet became the first company to reach a $1 trillion market capitalization using a dual-class share structure.
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, passed the $1 trillion valuation mark in January 2020. Its dual-class structure gives different groups of shares different voting rights, allowing founders and insiders to retain greater control than their economic ownership alone would provide.
Alphabet was created in 2015 as part of a corporate reorganization that placed Google and related businesses under a new parent company. Google remained the central business, while Alphabet also housed ventures and projects outside the core search and advertising operations.
A dual-class structure does not change the basic market-capitalization calculation: the market value of every share class is added together. It mainly affects voting power. Alphabet’s milestone is therefore distinct from simply asking which company first reached $1 trillion overall.