Alphabet became the parent company of Google and several other businesses when it was created in 2015.
Google announced the Alphabet restructuring in August 2015, and the new holding company became effective in October of that year. Larry Page moved from Google CEO to Alphabet CEO, while Sundar Pichai became Google’s chief executive.
The structure separated Google’s core internet products from other ventures. Google retained businesses such as Search, advertising, YouTube, Android, and Maps, while projects including life sciences and investment activities could operate more independently under Alphabet.
Alphabet is frequently confused with Google because Google remains its largest and best-known subsidiary. Alphabet’s market capitalization, however, applies to the parent company and reflects the combined expectations surrounding its businesses. Its shares trade mainly under the symbols GOOGL and GOOG.