How Google Became Alphabet, From A to Z

HOW GOOGLE BECAME ALPHABET, FROM A TO Z

Google said today that it has reorganized itself under a new parent company, Alphabet. Founded in 1998, Google itself may be known for search, but it has done a whole lot more since then, from building a whole new kind of advertising business to a whole new kind of car. WIRED has followed Google since the beginning. From its roots to the present day, the history of the company formerly known as Google offers hints at where Alphabet might be headed.

Once Upon a Time… (2005)

The story of how it all began. “We both found each other obnoxious,” Sergey Brin told WIRED of himself and Google co-founder Larry Page.

Good vs. Evil  (2003)

Google is well known for its motto “Don’t be evil,” but WIRED wondered if the company could stay true to its roots as it grew.

The Complete Guide to: Googlemania! (2004)

The world watched as Google went public. “The Google IPO is the rarest kind: one that draws the white-hot glare of public attention,” Marc Andreessen told WIRED. That reminds us of another announcement (cough cough, Alphabet).

Larry Page Lays Out His Plan for Your Future (2014)

Page wants to build the future—and he wants you to know it. “Companies are doing the same incremental thing that they did 50 years ago, 20 years ago,” Page explained in a TED talk last year. “That’s not really what we need.”

WIRED Chats With Sundar Pichai (2014)

Most recently Google’s senior vice president of product, Pichai will be the new CEO of Google proper. But he made his name as the man in charge of Chrome and Android. “I have a secret project which adds four hours every day to the 24 hours we have,” Pichai joked with us about how he gets everything done. “There’s a bit of time travel involved.”

Google’s Larry Page on Why Moonshots Matter (2013)

Larry Page sat down to chat with WIRED. “If you’re not doing some things that are crazy, then you’re doing the wrong things,” Page said.

Why Google Must Now Rule the Physical World (2014)

Astro Teller runs the quasi-secret Google X research lab. We got some sneak peeks.

Alphabet’s (née Google’s) Big Bets

Google isn’t just a search engine. The company has developed and acquired a whole host of other ideas and businesses, some of which will now be part of Alphabet instead. Among them are Nest, self-driving cars, virtual reality, WiFi hubs, a cancer-detecting pill, delivery drones, and a new wireless service.

Alphabet Lets Google Chase Moonshots And Stay Profitable (2015)

By separating the moonshots from Google’s core internet operations, Larry Page can show investors that the company’s bread-and-butter businesses remain highly profitable, even if the moonshots fail to turn a profit for years on end.

WHAT GOOGLE, I MEAN ALPHABET, LOOKS LIKE NOW

Google has a new parent company, Alphabet. Along with the new name, some of Google’s businesses are splitting off to become their own separate companies under Alphabet. Google’s core Internet business will stay Google. But some of its crazier ventures will now exist on their own under Alphabet. Here’s how it breaks down, according to Google’s filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Businesses that will stay a part of Google:

Search

Advertising

Maps

Apps

YouTube

Android

Businesses spinning off from Google to become separate companies under Alphabet:

Calico (life-extension biotech research)

Nest (maker of the Nest Thermostat and other smart home products)

Fiber (high-speed Internet service)

Ventures and Capital (early and growth-stage investing)

X lab (“moonshot” research incubator that includes projects such as self-driving cars and delivery drones)

http://www.wired.com/2015/08/how-google-became-alphabet/