Learn the ABCs of Google's Alphabet
Learn the ABCs of Google's Alphabet
2:41

Learn the ABCs of Google's Alphabet

Culture
Today's Tech news is brought to you by the letters W T and F. I'm Bridget Carey this is your CNet Update. Google is now the company Alphabet, which is the parent company of Google. In a strange and unexpected move, Google just renamed and reorganized itself to better separate the big wild idea projects like robots and self driving cars, from the core Google consumer products like Search, YouTube, and Android. The bottom line is that this doesn't change what Google does, Rather it just changes how it's all labeled for investors. Here's a quick breakdown of Google's new Alphabet soup. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the co-founders of Google are now in charge of Alphabet. It's a holding company. Page is CEO, Brin is President. Google sits under the Alphabet umbrella Sundar Pichai, who was in charge of Google Products now gets a new snazzy title. He's CEO of Google. He oversees all the Googley stuff: Maps, YouTube, Chrome, Android, and all the other stuff like the ambitious future tech projects are being moved aside into their own separate companies. And those people in charge also will likely get nice big CEO titles. So what are some of those other divisions that spawned from Google? You have life science projects like the glucose sensing contact lenses in Calico. The California Life Company which does anti-aging research. There's the X lab which works on Google glasses and self-driving cars and delivery drones and the Project Loon internet balloons. Sidewalk Labs aims to fix city infrastructure. There's all the robot research being done with Boston Dynamics. And that's been armed. The Google capital and Google ventures are separated under this alphabet of companies. The Google fiber high speed internet service is another thing. Maybe the new cell service five will be managed with that. And there's nest, the maker of smart home gadgets like the nest thermostat and the nest cam. The exact corporate structure will be revealed in a few weeks. The url for this new company alphabet is abc.xyz. It's clever but that's also because alphabet.com was taken by the car company BMW. And the Twitter name alphabet is owned by a man in Ohio. Well they're not the only company that knows how to have fun with letters in the US. If you go to ABC. WTF, it redirects to Microsoft Bing, a nice little zing for Bing. That's it for this tech news update, there's more to dive into at cnet.com. From our studios in New York, I'm Bridget Carey. [SOUND]

Up Next

Download Netflix shows to watch offline
ud113016.jpg

Up Next

Download Netflix shows to watch offline

Amazon's next Echo said to come with a screen
ud112916.jpg

Amazon's next Echo said to come with a screen

Curved iPhone 8? Apple said to be exploring OLED screens
ud112816.jpg

Curved iPhone 8? Apple said to be exploring OLED screens

Black Friday and other turkey traditions are evolving
ud1123162.jpg

Black Friday and other turkey traditions are evolving

Facebook drone accident under investigation
ud112216.jpg

Facebook drone accident under investigation

Facebook needs you to fight fake news
ud112116.jpg

Facebook needs you to fight fake news

Airbnb wants to be your travel agent
ud111816.jpg

Airbnb wants to be your travel agent

Wait, how fast can Qualcomm charge a phone?
ud111716.jpg

Wait, how fast can Qualcomm charge a phone?

Snapchat may be worth $30 billion with IPO filing
ud111616.jpg

Snapchat may be worth $30 billion with IPO filing

Nintendo puts a price on Super Mario Run (and the Switch?)
ud1115162.jpg

Nintendo puts a price on Super Mario Run (and the Switch?)

Tech Shows

The Apple Core
apple-core-w

The Apple Core

Alphabet City
alphabet-city-w

Alphabet City

CNET Top 5
cnet-top-5-w

CNET Top 5

The Daily Charge
dc-site-1color-logo.png

The Daily Charge

What the Future
what-the-future-w

What the Future

Tech Today
tech-today-w

Tech Today

Latest News All latest news

What is the Fediverse?
240418-fediverse-winged

What is the Fediverse?

The Missing Piece to Apple's Eco-Friendly Mission
240418-site-omt-the-core-problem-of-apples-green-goals-v1.jpg

The Missing Piece to Apple's Eco-Friendly Mission

First Drive in the All-Electric 2024 Fiat 500e
240417-site-fiat-500e-ev-drive-program-thumbnail-v3

First Drive in the All-Electric 2024 Fiat 500e

Laptop Buying Guide: What to Look For
laptop-buying-guide-2024-00-02-36-12-still001

Laptop Buying Guide: What to Look For

Boston Dynamics Retires Its HD Atlas Robot
p1022506-00-00-01-20-still001

Boston Dynamics Retires Its HD Atlas Robot

Taste-Testing 6 Apple Cider Vinegar Drinks
applecider-160424-land-00-00-06-18-still001

Taste-Testing 6 Apple Cider Vinegar Drinks

Most Popular All most popular

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
innovation

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
240123-site-samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-review-4

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
circlesearchpic

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
asus-preces-00-00-25-11-still003

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
samsung-galaxy-ring-clean

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
240111-site-best-of-ces-2024-1

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024

Latest Products All latest products

2025 Audi Q6, SQ6 E-Tron: Audi's Newest EV Is Its Most Compelling
cnet-audiq6

2025 Audi Q6, SQ6 E-Tron: Audi's Newest EV Is Its Most Compelling

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
pic3

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter

Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
240320-site-nuro-r3-first-look-v1

Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
240304-site-nothing-phone-2-first-look-v3

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
240229-site-best-of-show-at-mwc

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
240225-site-lenovo-translucent-laptop-concept-v3

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display

Latest How To All how to videos

Tips and Tricks for the AirPods Pro 2
airpods-pro-2

Tips and Tricks for the AirPods Pro 2

How to Watch the Solar Eclipse Safely From Your Phone
screenshot-2024-04-03-at-15-47-11.png

How to Watch the Solar Eclipse Safely From Your Phone

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
240311-site-windows-11-hidden-tips-and-tricks-v2

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
VisionOS 1.0.3

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
240216-site-galaxy-s24-ultra-tips-and-hidden-features-2

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
tiktok-on-vision-pro-clean

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro