Alphabet was the first company primarily known as an internet search company to reach a $2 trillion market capitalization.
Alphabet crossed the $2 trillion market-cap level in November 2021, after strong results and rising investor interest in its advertising, cloud, and technology businesses. Alphabet is the parent company of Google, whose search engine remains its best-known product.
Google was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Alphabet was created in 2015 as a corporate reorganization, placing Google and several other businesses under a larger holding company. Google’s advertising systems provide the majority of Alphabet’s revenue, while Google Cloud is another major business.
Market capitalization changes with share prices, so Alphabet’s exact position among the world’s most valuable companies can vary. The $2 trillion milestone also describes a public-market valuation, not the amount of cash Alphabet holds or the value of every product it operates.