Alphabet became Google’s parent corporation in 2015.
Google announced the new corporate structure in August 2015, and Alphabet Inc. became the publicly traded parent company later that year. Google remained the largest operating company within Alphabet, while other businesses and longer-term projects were placed under the broader holding structure.
The reorganization was designed to give greater independence to businesses such as life sciences, investment activities, and experimental technology projects. Sundar Pichai became Google’s chief executive, while co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin led Alphabet initially.
A common mix-up is treating Alphabet and Google as interchangeable stock-market names. Alphabet is the listed parent company, while Google is its principal subsidiary and the brand most people encounter through search, YouTube, Android, and advertising. Alphabet’s market capitalization is therefore reported for the parent corporation.