Since launching in 1998, Google has expanded from a simple search engine into a sprawling operation with operations in everything from the life sciences to self-driving cars. Now, those different businesses are being separated as subsidiaries under a new holding company called Alphabet.
The new corporate structure will give Google itself a tighter focus on its advertising business, while spinning off operations that are “far afield” of those efforts into separate companies, Page said in a blog post.
Here’s a quick rundown of the many different ventures that now comprise Alphabet.
Google X: Google’s most ambitious projects, such as its self-driving cars, often begin in this secretive research departmentTony Avela—APNest: The smart thermostat company that Google bought for $3.2 billion in 2014 is the centerpiece in Google’s plan to control the smart homes of the future.Aya Brackett—NestFiber: Google’s high-speed broadband Internet service is now available in three cities, with plans to expand to six more in the coming months.George Frey—ReutersVentures: Google’s venture capital arm already has a church-and-state separation from the company’s other endeavors, regularly investing in companies that compete with Google products. That line of separation should be even more stark thanks to the restructuring.Tripplaar Kristoffer—Sipa USACalico: Google launched this life sciences company in 2013 with the aim of extending human life. The company is devoted to long-term research that may not come to fruition for decades.Google/APCapital: This investment arm focuses on late-state growth companies, and like Google Ventures, operates independently of Google’s consumer-product businesses.Ventures and CapitalTony Avelar—Bloomberg/Getty Images
