Alphabet was created in 2015 to make Google a subsidiary and is identified by the stock ticker GOOGL.
The corporate restructuring separated Google’s core internet businesses from a collection of newer or more experimental activities. Google became Alphabet’s largest subsidiary, while Alphabet provided a parent-company structure for businesses such as Verily, Waymo, and other ventures.
Alphabet has two widely followed Nasdaq-listed share classes: GOOGL shares generally carry voting rights, while GOOG shares generally do not. Both represent ownership in Alphabet, and both contribute to the company’s overall market capitalization.
The name can cause confusion because Google remains the best-known brand and operating company. Alphabet did not replace Google’s search engine; it became the corporate parent. Sundar Pichai became Alphabet’s chief executive in 2019, after serving as Google’s CEO.