Key Stats
Revenue (2024): $350.02 billion
Market Cap: $3.87 trillion (December 2025)
Employees: 183,323 worldwide
Headquarters: Mountain View, California, USA
CEO: Sundar Pichai (since 2019)
Alphabet Inc. operates as the parent company of Google and several other technology subsidiaries. The company was formed on October 2, 2015, through a restructuring that separated Google’s core internet services from its experimental ventures.
Google Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, and Google Cloud generate the majority of Alphabet’s revenue. The company also oversees “Other Bets” including Waymo (autonomous vehicles), Verily (life sciences), and DeepMind (artificial intelligence research).
Alphabet ranks as the world’s third-largest technology company by revenue and the largest by profit. In September 2025, Alphabet became the fourth company to reach a $3 trillion market valuation, joining Nvidia, Microsoft, and Apple.
Alphabet History
1998
Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google in a garage in Menlo Park, California. The search engine launched from Stanford University where both were PhD students.
2004
Google completed its initial public offering on August 19, raising $1.67 billion. The IPO valued the company at $23 billion and created thousands of millionaires among early employees.
2006
Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock. The video-sharing platform now generates over $36 billion in annual advertising revenue and reaches billions of users monthly.
2014
Google acquired DeepMind Technologies for approximately $500 million. The London-based AI research company later developed AlphaGo and became central to Google’s AI strategy.
2015
Alphabet Inc. was established on October 2 as a holding company for Google and its subsidiaries. The restructuring aimed to make the core business “cleaner and more accountable.”
2020
Alphabet became the fourth U.S. company to reach $1 trillion market value on January 16. Sundar Pichai had assumed the CEO role at both Google and Alphabet in December 2019.
2024
Alphabet surpassed $2 trillion market valuation in April. The company announced its first-ever dividend payout and a $70 billion stock buyback program.
2025
Alphabet reached $3 trillion market cap in September, becoming the fourth company to achieve this milestone. The Willow quantum computing chip was unveiled in December 2024.
Alphabet Co-founders
Larry Page
Co-founder and former CEO of Alphabet until December 2019. Page developed the PageRank algorithm that powered Google Search and served as CEO of Google from 1998 to 2001 and 2011 to 2015.
Sergey Brin
Co-founder and former President of Alphabet until December 2019. Brin collaborated with Page at Stanford University and led Google’s special projects before the Alphabet restructuring.
Alphabet Revenue
Alphabet generated $350.02 billion in revenue during fiscal year 2024. This represented a 13.87% increase from the previous year. Google Search and advertising services account for approximately 57% of total revenue.
Alphabet Competitors
Alphabet competes against major technology companies across search, advertising, cloud computing, and consumer hardware. The company faces competition from Amazon in cloud services and from Meta in digital advertising.
| Company | Headquarters | Primary Competition Area |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Redmond, Washington | Cloud, search, productivity software |
| Amazon | Seattle, Washington | Cloud computing, smart devices |
| Apple | Cupertino, California | Mobile OS, smartphones, app stores |
| Meta Platforms | Menlo Park, California | Digital advertising, social media |
| Oracle | Austin, Texas | Cloud infrastructure, enterprise software |
| Alibaba | Hangzhou, China | Cloud, e-commerce, digital payments |
| Tencent | Shenzhen, China | Social media, gaming, cloud |
| Baidu | Beijing, China | Search, AI, autonomous driving |
| Adobe | San Jose, California | Creative software, marketing cloud |
| Salesforce | San Francisco, California | Enterprise cloud, CRM software |
Alphabet Acquisitions
Alphabet has completed over 260 acquisitions since Google’s founding in 1998. The company’s acquisition strategy focuses on expanding its technology capabilities across search, advertising, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.
The 2005 purchase of Android for an estimated $50 million proved transformative. Android now powers over 70% of smartphones worldwide and generates revenue through the Google Play Store and licensing agreements. The YouTube acquisition in 2006 for $1.65 billion faced criticism as excessive at the time. Today, YouTube reaches over 2 billion monthly users and generates more than $36 billion in annual advertising revenue.
DoubleClick joined Google in 2007 for $3.1 billion. The advertising technology company provided the infrastructure for display advertising that now powers Google’s ad network. Motorola Mobility was acquired in 2011 for $12.5 billion, primarily for its patent portfolio to protect Android from legal challenges. Google later sold the hardware division to Lenovo but retained the patents.
Waze joined Google in 2013 for $966 million. The crowdsourced navigation app enhanced Google Maps with real-time traffic data and community-driven updates. DeepMind Technologies was acquired in 2014 for approximately $500 million. The AI research company developed AlphaGo, AlphaFold, and other breakthroughs that positioned Google at the forefront of artificial intelligence.
Nest Labs was purchased in 2014 for $3.2 billion, marking Google’s entry into smart home devices. Fitbit joined Alphabet in 2021 for $2.1 billion, bringing wearable technology and health data capabilities. Mandiant was acquired in 2022 for $5.4 billion to strengthen Google Cloud’s cybersecurity offerings. In 2025, Alphabet announced plans to acquire Wiz, a cloud security company, in what would become its largest acquisition ever.
Alphabet Market Cap
Alphabet holds a market capitalization of approximately $3.87 trillion as of December 2025. The company became the fourth to reach this milestone in September 2025, trailing Nvidia, Microsoft, and Apple.
FAQs
Who founded Alphabet Inc.?
Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Alphabet Inc. on October 2, 2015. They created the holding company to restructure Google and provide autonomy to non-internet subsidiaries like Waymo and DeepMind.
What companies does Alphabet own?
Alphabet owns Google, YouTube, Waymo, DeepMind, Verily, Wing, and other subsidiaries. Google generates over 99% of Alphabet’s revenue through search, advertising, cloud services, and hardware products.
Where is Alphabet headquartered?
Alphabet is headquartered in Mountain View, California, at the Googleplex campus. The company maintains offices across North America, Europe, Asia, and other regions worldwide.
What is Alphabet’s main source of revenue?
Google Search and advertising generate approximately 77% of Alphabet’s total revenue. Google Cloud contributes 12%, while YouTube ads account for about 10% of annual revenue.
How many employees work at Alphabet?
Alphabet employs approximately 183,323 people worldwide as of 2024. The company reduced its workforce by about 12,000 positions in January 2023 as part of cost-cutting measures.
