Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is a multinational conglomerate and the holding company of Google, specializing in internet-related services and products. Its core business revolves around digital advertising, search, video platforms, and cloud computing. Google Search remains the most widely used web search engine globally, while YouTube, the company’s video-sharing platform, commands a significant share of online video viewership. Through its Google Cloud division, Alphabet provides infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and enterprise solutions, catering to businesses of all sizes worldwide.
Beyond its flagship offerings, Alphabet invests in a portfolio of “Other Bets,” which includes ventures in autonomous driving (Waymo), life sciences (Verily), smart home devices (Nest), and fiber-optic internet service (Google Fiber). These subsidiaries reflect the company’s commitment to innovation and long-term growth in emerging technology sectors. While some projects operate independently, they collectively benefit from Alphabet’s research and development expertise and robust financial backing.
Founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University, Google evolved rapidly from a search engine startup to a diversified technology leader. In 2015, Google reorganized under the Alphabet parent structure to provide greater operational autonomy to its various businesses and streamline corporate governance. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, Alphabet maintains regional offices and data centers across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Africa to support its global user base.
Alphabet’s leadership team is headed by Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai, who has overseen the company’s core and cloud businesses since 2015 and was appointed CEO of Alphabet in 2019. The board of directors includes industry veterans and experts in technology, finance and public policy, guiding corporate strategy and ensuring governance standards. Under Pichai’s stewardship, Alphabet continues to expand its product portfolio, deepen its research in artificial intelligence and explore new markets while maintaining a focus on user privacy and regulatory compliance.
