Google turns 28: Why Larry Page let Sergey Brin name Alphabet
Google recently marked its 28th anniversary, reflecting on its evolution from a search engine to a subsidiary of the parent company Alphabet. Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin chose the name Alphabet to allow the company to expand into diverse sectors beyond search.
Why it matters
Understanding the corporate restructuring of major tech giants provides insight into how companies manage diversification and long-term strategic growth.
Google turned 28 on September 4, marking nearly three decades since Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded the company as a search engine. But the company they created has grown far beyond search. Today, Google operates under Alphabet, a parent company that spans internet services, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, self-driving technology and other businesses. The choice of the name Alphabet also came from an unusual decision between the two cofounders. Larry Page had chosen the name Google, so when Alphabet was created, he gave Brin the chance to choose its name. “I chose Google, so [Sergey] chose Alphabet,” Page said. The decision reflected their plans for a company that could grow beyond Google's original business.Why Larry Page chose GoogleGoogle's original name was inspired by “googol”, a mathematical term for the number 1 followed by 100 zeros.
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