Google operates the Google search engine and has Alphabet as its parent company.
Google became a subsidiary of Alphabet in 2015, when the companies reorganized their corporate structure. Alphabet became the publicly traded parent company, while Google retained its core search, advertising, Android, YouTube, and cloud businesses.
Google’s advertising operations have historically been central to Alphabet’s earnings and valuation. Search advertising connects users with commercial information, while YouTube, Google Cloud, subscriptions, and hardware provide additional businesses. These activities helped Alphabet become one of the world’s largest companies by market capitalization.
A frequent mistake is calling Alphabet and Google interchangeable names. Google is the principal operating company; Alphabet is the holding company that also oversees other businesses and research projects. Investors generally buy Alphabet shares, even though the consumer-facing brand most people know is Google.