Company Description
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) is a holding company that wholly owns Google LLC, one of the most widely known internet and technology companies in the world. According to available information, Alphabet derives a substantial majority of its revenue from Google services, with the remainder coming from Google Cloud and a portfolio of technology-focused investments. Alphabet’s Class A common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol GOOGL, and its Class C capital stock trades under the symbol GOOG, as disclosed in its SEC filings.
Alphabet is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and operates in the information sector, with an industry classification of all other telecommunications. Through Google, Alphabet’s activities span internet search, online advertising, cloud computing, and a variety of platforms and devices. The company’s SEC filings describe Google as a wholly owned subsidiary of Alphabet, and identify Alphabet as the issuer of several series of senior notes listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC.
Core business structure and revenue sources
Based on the company description provided, Alphabet’s business is organized around three main areas:
- Google services – This area generates slightly less than 90% of Alphabet’s revenue. The description indicates that the vast majority of this revenue is from advertising sales. Google services also houses revenue from subscription offerings such as YouTube TV and YouTube Music, from platforms such as the Play Store (including sales and in-app purchases), and from devices such as Chromebooks, Pixel smartphones, and smart home products like Chromecast.
- Google Cloud – Google’s cloud computing platform accounts for roughly 10% of Alphabet’s revenue, according to the Polygon description. Google Cloud provides AI, infrastructure, data, security, and collaboration tools that organizations in more than 200 countries and territories use as a technology partner to help transform their operations. Google Cloud is described as offering an integrated AI stack, custom-built chips, generative AI models and development platforms, and AI-powered applications.
- Other Alphabet investments – The remaining portion of Alphabet’s activities includes investments in up-and-coming technologies such as self-driving cars (Waymo), health (Verily), and internet access (Google Fiber). These efforts reflect Alphabet’s focus on long-term technology bets beyond its core advertising and cloud businesses.
Google services and advertising
The Polygon description notes that the vast majority of Alphabet’s revenue comes from advertising sales within Google services. Google’s mission is described in company communications as organizing the world’s information and making it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms such as Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Chrome, and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and is characterized as one of the most widely known companies in the world.
Advertising is closely tied to these services. Google’s ad technology business has also been the subject of regulatory scrutiny. An Alphabet Form 8-K dated September 5, 2025, reports that the European Commission announced a decision that Google had infringed European competition laws through “self-preferencing” practices on the buy-side and sell-side relating to its advertising technology business. The decision imposed a fine and directed Google to cease and desist the practices described; Alphabet disclosed that Google plans to appeal and that it expects to accrue the fine in the third quarter of 2025.
Google Cloud and AI-focused solutions
Google Cloud is presented in multiple news releases as a major pillar of Alphabet’s business. It is described as providing AI, infrastructure, developer, data, security, and collaboration tools. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as a technology partner to enable growth and address critical business problems. Google Cloud communications highlight several solution areas:
- Retail solutions – Google Cloud has introduced AI technologies for retailers, including a shelf-checking AI solution built on Vertex AI Vision that uses Google’s database of facts about people, places, and things to recognize billions of products and help ensure shelves are stocked. Discovery AI solutions include personalization capabilities and an AI-powered browse feature to optimize product ordering and recommendations on ecommerce sites, along with Recommendations AI to improve product suggestions and revenue per user session.
- Employee experience and HR analytics – Culture Amp, an employee experience platform, selected Google Cloud’s Vertex AI as the foundation for its generative AI solutions. The goal is to summarize large volumes of employee survey comments into topics and actionable insights, while maintaining transparency and privacy. Google Cloud’s generative AI security architecture is described as ensuring customer data remains with the customer.
- Public sector and environmental insights – Google Public Sector, part of Google’s cloud-related offerings, is partnering with the South Florida Water Management District to deploy a Climate Insights for natural resources solution powered by Google Earth Engine running on Google Cloud and Climate Engine. This solution is intended to support water quality visualization, trend analysis, and efforts to combat harmful algal blooms, while connecting tools such as Earth Engine, BigQuery, and Vertex AI.
Privacy, security, and browser ecosystem
Google’s role in the broader internet ecosystem is reflected in collaborations and product initiatives. For example, a Business Wire release notes that Google LLC entered into an agreement with Fastly, Inc. for Fastly to operate an Oblivious HTTP Relay as part of FLEDGE, a Privacy Sandbox proposal in Google Chrome. The Privacy Sandbox initiative is described as aiming to reduce cross-site and cross-app tracking while supporting tailored advertising and keeping online content and services free. Fastly’s OHTTP Relay is intended to help FLEDGE count k-anonymous ad cohorts while enhancing privacy by hiding users’ IP addresses and removing unnecessary client request headers.
Another news release describes how BlackBerry and Google launched Chrome Enterprise Management with BlackBerry UEM, enabling enterprises to manage Chrome OS devices and the Chrome browser. This integration uses Google’s Chrome Enterprise Connectors Framework and Chrome Management APIs, including Chrome Policy APIs, to allow IT managers to apply policies such as remote wipe, password enforcement, and configuration settings for Chrome-based devices and the Chrome browser.
Regulatory and legal environment
Alphabet’s SEC filings and news coverage illustrate that the company operates in a complex legal and regulatory environment. In addition to the European Commission decision on advertising technology, an Alphabet Form 8-K dated September 2, 2025, reports a remedies decision by a U.S. District Court in the Department of Justice’s antitrust case related to Google’s online search. The decision imposes limits on how Google distributes its services and requires Google to share search data and offer syndication services to certain competitors.
Separate from antitrust matters, Google has been named in civil litigation related to its mapping services. A news release describes a negligence lawsuit filed in North Carolina alleging that outdated directions from Google Maps contributed to a fatal accident at a collapsed bridge. The complaint asserts that Google failed to update its maps despite community requests. The release identifies Google as a defendant and describes the case as focusing on whether Google directed customers along safe and navigable roadways.
Capital markets, dividends, and governance
Alphabet’s Form 8-K filings confirm that its Class A and Class C shares are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbols GOOGL and GOOG. The filings also list several series of senior notes due in 2029, 2033, 2037, 2045, and 2054 that are registered on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC. An 8-K dated July 23, 2025, states that Alphabet’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend payable to stockholders of record for each of the company’s Class A, Class B, and Class C shares.
Another 8-K dated July 8, 2025, reports that the United States District Court for the Northern District of California preliminarily approved a settlement of a stockholder derivative action captioned In re Alphabet Inc. Shareholder Derivative Litigation. As part of that process, Alphabet is required to publish a Notice of Pendency and Proposed Settlement of Derivative Action and make the notice and stipulation of settlement available for review.
Strategic investments and partnerships
Alphabet’s reach extends through partnerships and technology collaborations. News releases highlight Google Cloud’s role as the underlying platform for third-party solutions in sectors such as cybersecurity, healthcare, and enterprise software. For example, Exabeam, a cybersecurity company, states that it architected its security operations platform and New-Scale SIEM product portfolio on Google Cloud, combining cloud-scale security log management, behavioral analytics, and automated investigation. ROKIT Healthcare reports that it moved its infrastructure to Google Cloud and uses Google Cloud’s AI tools, including Vertex AI, BigQuery, Cloud Load Balancing, Google Kubernetes Engine, Cloud Armor, and VPC Service Controls, to support a hyper-personalized medical platform for treating osteoarthritis and diabetic foot lesions.
Alphabet’s governance is also reflected in board-level roles. A Business Wire release about SOFR Academy notes that R. Martin “Marty” Chávez serves on the Board of Directors of Alphabet Inc. and describes him as recognized for integrating quantitative technology into financial institutions. This underscores Alphabet’s connection to expertise at the intersection of finance, technology, and data science.
Risk profile and regulatory focus
From an investor perspective, the information in Alphabet’s SEC filings and related news shows that the company is exposed to regulatory, legal, and competitive risks, particularly in advertising technology and online search. The European Commission’s competition decision and the U.S. Department of Justice antitrust remedies decision both address how Google structures and distributes its services, and may affect how Alphabet operates its core businesses. Civil litigation related to Google Maps further illustrates the operational and reputational risks associated with large-scale consumer services.
At the same time, Alphabet’s disclosures and partner announcements demonstrate ongoing investment in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, security, and infrastructure, as well as continued listing of its equity and debt securities on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC. Investors researching GOOGL stock can use this context, along with Alphabet’s periodic reports and official filings, to understand the company’s business mix, regulatory environment, and areas of strategic focus.
Frequently asked questions about Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL)
- What does Alphabet Inc. do?
According to the company description, Alphabet is a holding company that wholly owns Google. It derives slightly less than 90% of its revenue from Google services, the vast majority of which is advertising sales, with additional revenue from subscriptions, platforms, devices, Google Cloud, and investments in areas such as self-driving cars, health, and internet access. - How does Alphabet generate revenue?
The Polygon description states that Alphabet generates the majority of its revenue from Google services, where advertising sales are the primary source. Additional revenue comes from subscription services like YouTube TV and YouTube Music, platform sales and in-app purchases on the Play Store, device sales, Google Cloud’s cloud computing platform, and other technology investments. - On which exchange does GOOGL trade?
Alphabet’s SEC filings list its Class A common stock, par value $0.001, under the symbol GOOGL on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq Global Select Market). Its Class C capital stock trades under the symbol GOOG on the same market. - What industry and sector is Alphabet classified in?
The provided data classifies Alphabet in the information sector, with an industry designation of all other telecommunications. Its operations, as described in company and partner communications, span internet services, advertising technology, cloud computing, and related technology fields. - What is Google Cloud’s role within Alphabet?
The Polygon description indicates that Google Cloud accounts for roughly 10% of Alphabet’s revenue. Google Cloud communications describe it as providing AI, infrastructure, data, security, and collaboration tools, with customers in more than 200 countries and territories using it as a technology partner for digital transformation. - What regulatory actions have affected Alphabet recently?
An 8-K dated September 5, 2025, reports that the European Commission found that Google infringed European competition laws through “self-preferencing” practices in its advertising technology business, imposed a fine, and ordered Google to cease and desist the practices. Another 8-K dated September 2, 2025, reports a remedies decision in the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust case related to online search, which imposes limits on how Google distributes its services and requires it to share search data and offer syndication services to certain competitors. - Does Alphabet pay dividends?
An Alphabet Form 8-K dated July 23, 2025, states that the Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend payable to stockholders of record for each of the company’s Class A, Class B, and Class C shares. - What kinds of long-term projects does Alphabet invest in?
The Polygon description notes that Alphabet invests in up-and-coming technologies such as self-driving cars through Waymo, health through Verily, and internet access through Google Fiber. These projects represent areas where Alphabet is pursuing long-term technology development beyond its core advertising and cloud businesses. - How is Alphabet involved in artificial intelligence?
News releases about Google Cloud describe AI as central to many of its offerings, including Vertex AI for building and deploying generative AI, AI-powered shelf checking for retailers, Discovery AI for ecommerce search and browse, Recommendations AI for product recommendations, and Climate Insights solutions using Google Earth Engine. These examples illustrate Alphabet’s focus on applying AI across industries via Google Cloud. - What legal risks are associated with Google Maps?
A news release about a lawsuit in North Carolina alleges that outdated directions from Google Maps contributed to a fatal accident at a collapsed bridge. The complaint claims that Google failed to update its maps despite community requests. This illustrates that Google’s mapping services can be subject to negligence claims related to the accuracy and timeliness of route information.