Alphabet Inc arrives: All about Google's parent company | HT Tech

Alphabet Inc arrives: All about Google's parent company

All you need to know about Alphabet Inc, Google's new parent company and the companies that are a part of it.

By: HT CORRESPONDENT
| Updated on: Aug 11 2015, 16:20 IST
image caption
Sundar Pichai was named chief executive officer of Google as the company unveiled a new corporate structure creating an umbrella company dubbed Alphabet. (AFP File Photo)
image caption
Sundar Pichai was named chief executive officer of Google as the company unveiled a new corporate structure creating an umbrella company dubbed Alphabet. (AFP File Photo)

Over the past few years, Google's been getting kind of bloated. In addition to its core search business, it has added all sorts of products: Life Sciences, which works on a glucose-sensing contact lens, Calico, that focuses on longevity and Nest, which it acquired to bolster its intelligent home products portfolio.

Google co-founder Larry Page's announcement on Monday about the tech giant reorganising under a new parent company, Alphabet Inc, appears aimed at separating moneymaking businesses from other ventures that have worried investors while still driving innovation.

As part of the surprise corporate overhaul, India-born Sundar Pichai, the current vice-president who has worked on some of Google's best-known products, was named the CEO of the search giant.

So, what exactly is Alphabet? And what are the companies under it?

In the words of Page: "Alphabet is mostly a collection of companies. The largest of which, of course, is Google. This newer Google is a bit slimmed down, with the companies that are pretty far afield of our main Internet products contained in Alphabet instead."

Here are the companies that are part of Alphabet:

Google:

It will continue to include the search engine, ads, maps, apps, YouTube, the Android system and related technical infrastructure.

Life Sciences:

Its work includes developing a glucose-sensing contact lens.

Nest:

It makes internet-connected smart home appliances. Google acquired Nest in 2014.

Calico:

It is focussed on research aimed at prolonging human life.

Fiber:

It is building high-speed broadband networks in several US cities.

Google X:

It is the secretive special projects lab responsible for Google's self-driving car venture. It previously developed the controversial internet headset known as Glass and will now focus on new efforts like Project Wing, a drone delivery effort

Alphabet will also oversee Google Ventures and Google Capital, two corporate investment entities that focus on early- and growth-stage start-ups.

Page explained the reorganisation will help in getting more ambitious things done, empowering great entrepreneurs and companies to flourish, and improving the transparency and oversight of what Google is doing.

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First Published Date: 11 Aug, 11:23 IST
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