Alphabet is the parent company of Google and took its name in a 2015 corporate restructuring.
Google announced the creation of Alphabet on August 10, 2015, and the restructuring became effective later that year. Alphabet became the holding company, while Google’s core internet products and advertising business became its largest subsidiary.
The structure separated mature operations such as Search, YouTube, and Android from experimental or specialized projects. Businesses including Waymo and Verily could operate with more independence while remaining under the Alphabet umbrella.
Alphabet is frequently mistaken for a new name for Google Search. Google continued as a subsidiary and retained its familiar product names. Alphabet’s market capitalization is driven primarily by Google’s advertising and cloud businesses, although investors also assess the potential and costs of its “Other Bets.”