Alphabet became the parent organization of Google in a 2015 restructuring. The new holding company separated Google’s core internet businesses from several other projects and subsidiaries.
Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin created Alphabet with Page as chief executive and Brin as president. Sundar Pichai became Google’s CEO, allowing Google to focus on search, advertising, Android, YouTube, and related products.
The structure was designed to give individual businesses greater independence while allowing Alphabet to oversee the wider group. Projects such as life sciences and research initiatives could therefore operate outside Google’s main product organization.
Alphabet is commonly confused with Google because Google remains its largest and best-known subsidiary. Alphabet itself is the publicly traded parent company, and its market capitalization has made it one of the most valuable companies in the world.