Alphabet owns Google and is commonly listed among the world’s highest-market-cap businesses.
Alphabet Inc. became Google’s parent company in 2015, when Google reorganized its operations under a new holding structure. Google remained the largest business within Alphabet, while other activities were grouped into units such as “Other Bets.”
The reorganization separated Google’s core internet businesses—including search, advertising, YouTube, and Android—from experimental or emerging projects. Alphabet’s class structure also includes different voting rights, so its shares trade under more than one ticker symbol, including GOOGL and GOOG.
Alphabet is often confused with Google because Google remains the consumer-facing brand most people know. However, the listed corporate entity whose market capitalization is measured in financial markets is Alphabet. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and was created by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.