Google changed its name from Google Inc. to Google LLC in 2017.
The legal name change took effect on October 2, 2017. Google had previously reorganized its corporate structure in 2015, when Alphabet Inc. became the parent company and Google became one of Alphabet’s subsidiaries. Google LLC is the legal entity associated with the company’s core internet products and services.
Google’s products include its search engine, YouTube, Android, Google Maps, Google Cloud, and advertising systems. The reorganization separated those businesses from other Alphabet activities, such as life-sciences and technology ventures, and gave the parent company a structure for reporting different operations.
This distinction causes a frequent mix-up: Google and Alphabet are related but are not identical corporate entities after the 2015 restructuring. Alphabet is the publicly traded parent company, while Google is its largest and best-known subsidiary. Alphabet’s stock symbols include GOOGL and GOOG, whereas the name Google itself is not the ticker for the parent company.