The achievements or major milestones Google has achieved so far include acquiring MicroLED in 2022 for the development of micro-optics, system integration, etc. Furthermore, Google’s ChatGPT has also been launched in early 2023. How can we talk about the owners and shareholders of Google without having an overview of the history of the web giant? So let’s dive into the stages of history Google has passed to reach where it is today. When we talk about the internet, it brings connectivity across the globe, making the vision of globalization a reality.

Ownership of the rest of the shareholders is quite fragmented, and let’s not forget that their former CEO, Erik Schmidt, also controls another 4% of votes. Well, this is not allowed, thanks to an agreement that Larry, Sergey, and Erik made during the introduction of the C-class shares. Vanguard (The Vanguard Group) is one of the largest asset managers in the world. It manages other people’s money through its mutual funds and exchange-traded funds and also offers other related investing and financial planning services. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google’s founders, are also one of the largest Alphabet owners. However, at its core, Google is primarily known for its search engine, used by billions of people worldwide to access information on the internet.

Because it is not just a search engine; it is a huge tech company that plays a big role in our online lives. Since its launch, it has not just changed how we find information and use the internet. Holders of Class C capital stock have no voting power as to any items of business that will be voted on at the Annual Meeting. When a company decides to issue equity in the form of common stocks, it can do so in several types depending on the limitations that the owners of the company want to give to voting powers.

The two co-founders of Google continued to remain as controlling shareholders, board members, and employees at Alphabet. In conclusion, the ownership landscape of Alphabet Inc., epitomizes a symbiotic relationship between pioneering individuals and astute institutional investors. Furthermore, the substantial holdings of institutional giants like Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and others underscore the market’s confidence in Alphabet’s trajectory and potential. This blend of visionary leadership and strategic investment positions Alphabet for sustained dominance and groundbreaking innovation in the ever-evolving tech landscape. Yes, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the co-founders of Google, still own a significant portion of Alphabet Inc. (Google’s parent company). Each holds approximately 6% of the shares and retains control through Class B shares, which carry 10 votes per share.

Largest shareholders

He left that CEO position as investors pressured him to leave the rains to somebody with more experience. Larry’s sometimes unorthodox moves, like firing all the product managers in 2001, understandably scared them off. Larry Page founded Google in 1998 together with its co-founder SergeyBrin.

He still serves on Alphabet‘s board and owns a sizable stake after decades of stock awards. He stepped down as CEO in 2001, but returned who own google now to the role over a decade later. Page has compared Google‘s structure to a constitutional democracy, with him acting as the executive empowered by Class B shareholders. This search technology showed enough promise that sun Microsystems co-founder Andreas Bechtolsheim wrote the fledgling company a $100,000 check in August 1998, even before Google was incorporated. To understand who owns Alphabet today, we must start from the beginning.

Investing in Tech Stocks

Google, the global tech juggernaut, is currently owned by Alphabet Inc., a parent company established in 2015 to oversee Google and its various subsidiaries. Pichai joined Google in 2004 as the head of product management and development. He initially worked on Google Toolbar, which enabled those using the Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox Web browsers to easily access the Google search engine. XPS’s editorial policy focuses on providing content that is meticulously researched, precise, and impartial. We adhere to rigorous sourcing guidelines, and every page is subject to an exhaustive review by our team of leading technology specialists and experienced editors.

Share buybacks decrease the total number of Alphabet’s outstanding shares and allow shareholders, including Larry and Sergey, to sell some shares and keep the same voting power. BlackRock is a publicly traded company, and its largest shareholders are its competitors, including BlackRock itself. Sundar Pichai is the man most people know as the face of Google Inc.

Who Owns Google: Shareholder Details of Google

Larry is considered the fifth wealthiest person in the US, with a net worth of $120 billion. Google’s commitment to AI and machine learning became even more evident as the world entered a new decade. The company continued to invest heavily in AI research, with applications ranging from healthcare to climate modeling. The third decade has also brought several challenges for Google related to data privacy.

Who are the largest shareholders of Google (Alphabet)?

• While his stake is relatively small, his leadership role gives him significant influence over the company’s operations.
• BlackRock is not only an asset manager, but it also provides other asset managers and corporations with its Aladdin portfolio management software.
• Therefore, we will break down the structure of Google’s ownership in the later parts of this article.
• These include businesses in the fields of advertising, healthy technology, video, security, and navigation.
• The most prominent institutional shareholders are mutual funds BlackRock and The Vanguard Group, with 2.7% and 3.1%, respectively.

Thanks to its size, Vanguard usually belongs to the largest shareholders in those companies and has considerable power at their shareholder meetings. Alphabet (Google) is kind of a “different” company from most others. This approach is behind its successes and, in my view, also behind many of its failures to commercialize its technology and innovations. Alphabet also stands out thanks to the voting control the founders Larry and Sergey have over the company. Barring another corporate restructuring, Page and Brin are positioned to chart the course at Alphabet for decades to come.

Also, as Google issued several common stocks, Brin and Page are the ones who – with their Class B common stocks – preserved their control over the company. As of January 31, 2020, there were 300,047,170 shares of the registrant’s Class A common stock outstanding and 46,407,491 shares of the registrant’s Class B common stock outstanding. At the time, just like today, Brin and Page seemed obsessed with control and ownership. For instance, by 2023, thanks to their ownership stake in the company, both Page and Brin were multi-billionaires. To understand how the CEO’s compensation structure works, Sundar Pichai potentially got over $280 million, including salary, stock awards, and other compensation.

• However, Sergey Brin controls 24.9% of all votes thanks to owning super-voting shares.As of December 2022, the market value of Sergey Brin’s stake in Alphabet was $65.4 billion.
• Waymo, which was originally part of Google, officially restructured as an Alphabet subsidiary in 2016.
• The most well-known example is the Waymo self-driving vehicle startup, but there are several others.
• In terms of market capitalization, Apple holds a significant lead over Google, with a market cap of $2.11 trillion compared to Google‘s $1.42 trillion.

Who is on the board of directors for Google?

And public investors generally approve – both Class A and Class C shares have continued outpacing the S&P 500. The visionary co-founders of YouTube, Chad Hurley, and Steve Chen, made the monumental decision to sell their platform to Google on October 16, 2006, for $1.65 billion. This acquisition proved a strategic move for both parties, as YouTube gained access to Google‘s vast resources and expertise, enabling its continued growth and success in the online video space.

Alphabet Inc.’s shareholder base is a mix of institutional investors, mutual funds, insiders, and individual investors. Google’s control lies in the hands of its founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who wield significant power through their Class B shares. While institutional investors dominate, individual and retail investors also hold a portion of Alphabet’s shares. These investors purchase shares through brokerage accounts, retirement plans, or direct stock purchase programs. Vanguard is one of the largest asset management firms globally and consistently ranks as Alphabet’s top shareholder. Its ownership is spread across various index funds and ETFs, such as the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) and Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund.

He is the third major individual shareholder of the company with shares of Alphabet which makes 0.01% of the company’s outstanding shares. Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Google & Alphabet and a member of Alphabet’s board of directors. If founders make some provision beforehand, their voting rights can be transferred in case of their death to other class B shareholders. If they do it, conversion to ordinary shares will not happen immediately, but after nine months.

But Page and Brin‘s proven judgement has earned deep reserves of trust. So while reasonable concerns exist, consolidated control has undeniably driven Alphabet‘s meteoric growth over 20+ years since inception. So who ultimately owns and governs one of the world‘s most valuable companies? In terms of market capitalization, Apple holds a significant lead over Google, with a market cap of $2.11 trillion compared to Google‘s $1.42 trillion. Additionally, Apple generated more revenue than Google in 2022, with $394.33 billion versus Google‘s $282.83 billion. Sundar Pichai is an Indian-born American computer scientist and executive who is CEO of both Google, Inc. (2015– ), and its holding company, Alphabet Inc. (2019– ).

Alphabet has been amping up its efforts to innovate in the artificial intelligence space and incorporate AI into its products — a key priority for its investors. The goal of Google’s restructuring, forming the parent company Alphabet, was to enable different businesses within the company to “operate independently and move faster.” In February 2022, Microsoft (MSFT) was reportedly interested in buying Mandiant.