Alphabet is the market-cap company that became Google’s parent when it was created in 2015.
Google reorganized under a new holding company called Alphabet Inc. in October 2015. Google remained the largest subsidiary, while other businesses and projects were placed under the broader Alphabet structure. The arrangement separated Google’s core internet products from ventures such as life sciences, autonomous vehicles, and other long-term projects.
Google continues to operate products including Search, YouTube, Android, Maps, and Google Cloud. Alphabet’s corporate structure allows those businesses to remain connected while giving separate initiatives more organizational independence.
Alphabet is sometimes incorrectly called Google because Google is by far its best-known subsidiary. The company trades publicly under the symbols GOOGL and GOOG. Larry Page became Alphabet’s first chief executive, while Sundar Pichai became Google’s CEO and later Alphabet’s CEO.