Post by mnholdem on Sept 10, 2015 7:16:15 GMT -5
Everything You Need to Know About the Google/Alphabet Move
Last month felt a little like April 1 when Google announced it was becoming part of Alphabet, Inc., a new umbrella company that will encompass Google’s existing operations as part of a new organizational structure. You've probably already noticed the transition to the new-look Google logo, which aligns more closely with the aesthetic of its new parent company. Many search industry pundits weren’t sure what to make of the official announcement at first, but it soon became apparent that Google wasn’t kidding, and that Alphabet was indeed a real company. Underwhelming name notwithstanding, Alphabet will undoubtedly help Google shake things up, but many marketers had – and have – questions about the move.
Here’s everything you need to know about Google, Alphabet, and how the new structure will affect you (or not).
What Is Alphabet, Inc.?
Alphabet, Inc. is a proposed holding company that will be the “parent” company to Google and many of Google’s subsidiary organizations. Alphabet won’t make or sell anything directly, but will instead be home to Google’s search business and dozens of subsidiary organizations that are currently under the Google umbrella.
Why Is Google Doing This?
Over the years, Google has acquired dozens of companies and expanded its vast empire far beyond search, the bread and butter of its business. As such, Google’s operational structure has become understandably complex. Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and numerous company stakeholders felt it was time to fold all the smaller companies (and Google itself) into a single, larger corporate entity that will allow each individual component of the business to function more efficiently independent of Google’s primary search business.
Who’s Going to Be In Charge at Alphabet?
Larry Page will assume the role of CEO at Alphabet, while Sergey Brin will become the company’s president. Sundar Pichai, current Product Chief of Google’s Internet business, will become CEO of Google, Inc., under the new structure. In addition, each individual subsidiary organization will have its own CEO to allow for greater organizational control and oversight, two of the main reasons for the switch. Many existing CEOs of Google-owned companies, such as Nest’s Tony Fadell and YouTube’s Susan Wojcicki, will remain in their current roles.
When Is This Going to Happen?
At this time, Alphabet is merely a proposed umbrella company – nothing has been finalized or set in stone. To complete the transition, Alphabet must first be created as a subsidiary company of Google. Once this is done, the roles of the two companies will be reversed, with Google becoming a subsidiary of Alphabet. In Google’s official filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Alphabet is expected to report its earnings as a Google subsidiary by the end of this year, so the transition should be finalized by sometime next year.
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What’s All This About Contact Lenses and Internet Balloons?
Google hasn’t been a plain old Internet company for a long time. During the past decade, Google has embarked on increasingly ambitious projects that could – literally – change the course of human history. Many of these projects, such as the driverless car initiative, were conceived within Google’s secretive ideas laboratory Google X.
As part of the new Alphabet corporate structure, Google X and many other of Google’s more esoteric interests will be free to operate outside of the confines of Google, Inc. Calico Labs (Google’s research division focused on life expectancy and combatting the ageing process), Google Life Sciences (home of the Google contact lens project), and Google’s robotics division will all operate autonomously as part of Alphabet.
www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2015/09/04/google-alphabet
