Alphabet became the parent company of Google Search and YouTube after Google reorganized under the Alphabet name in 2015.
The restructuring separated Google’s core internet products from several other businesses and research projects. Sundar Pichai became Google’s chief executive, while Larry Page became Alphabet’s chief executive and Sergey Brin became its president.
Alphabet’s main subsidiary, Google, operates Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, and advertising services. Other operations have included businesses such as Waymo and Verily, although their ownership and structure can change as projects develop.
Alphabet is frequently confused with Google because Google remains its best-known operating company and the company’s stock trades under the familiar GOOG and GOOGL tickers. Alphabet ranks among the world’s most valuable listed companies because of its advertising scale, cloud business, software ecosystem, and large cash resources.