Google is owned by Alphabet Inc., a public company traded on the Nasdaq. Alphabet’s shareholders own it, but Google’s co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, control about 52.7% of the votes through special Class B shares. Investment firm BlackRock is the largest outside shareholder listed in Alphabet’s 2026 proxy statement.
So the short answer has three layers: Alphabet owns Google, public shareholders own Alphabet, and the founders control the votes. Below, I break down each layer using Alphabet’s own SEC filings, not estimates.
Key Takeaways
- Google LLC is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., created in a 2015 restructuring.
- Alphabet trades on the Nasdaq as GOOGL (Class A) and GOOG (Class C).
- Larry Page holds 27.4% of Alphabet’s voting power and Sergey Brin holds 25.3%, according to the 2026 proxy statement.
- BlackRock owns 6.1% of Class A shares, which equals 2.5% of the voting power.
- Sundar Pichai is the CEO of both Google and Alphabet.
Who Owns Google?
Alphabet Inc. owns Google. In 2015, Google reorganized and created Alphabet as a holding company. The restructuring was completed on October 2, 2015, and Google stock was converted into Alphabet stock.
Here is how the ownership chain works:
| Level | Who | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shareholders | Own Alphabet through its public stock |
| 2 | Alphabet Inc. | Parent company that owns Google and other businesses |
| 3 | Runs Search, YouTube, Android, Gmail, Google Cloud, and more |
Who owns Google now? The same structure is in place in 2026. No other company owns Google. Alphabet owns it, and Alphabet is owned by its shareholders.
Who Are Google’s Largest Shareholders?
Alphabet’s 2026 proxy statement lists every person or firm that owns more than 5% of a voting share class. As of the April 6, 2026, record date, these were the main holders:
| Shareholder | Shares held | Share of class | Voting power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Page | 389.1 million Class B | 46.5% of Class B | 27.4% |
| Sergey Brin | 358.9 million Class B | 42.9% of Class B | 25.3% |
| BlackRock | 356.9 million Class A | 6.1% of Class A | 2.5% |
| Sundar Pichai (CEO) | 227,560 Class A | Under 1% | Under 1% |
Source: Alphabet 2026 proxy statement. BlackRock’s figures come from a filing made in February 2024.
What about Vanguard? Vanguard used to be listed with about 493.8 million Class A shares. In March 2026, it filed an update saying it no longer counts as the beneficial owner of those shares as of January 12, 2026. Alphabet says it does not know whether any single Vanguard unit holds more than 5%, so the 2026 proxy does not list Vanguard.
All 14 of Alphabet’s executive officers and directors together hold 54.3% of the voting power.
Who Controls Google?
Larry Page and Sergey Brin control Google. Together, they hold about 52.7% of Alphabet’s voting power. That is enough to control most shareholder votes, even though they own only part of the company’s stock.
This is possible because Alphabet has three share classes:
| Share class | Ticker | Votes per share | Shares outstanding (Jan 28, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class A | GOOGL | 1 | 5,822 million |
| Class B | Not traded | 10 | 837 million |
| Class C | GOOG | 0 | 5,438 million |
Source: Alphabet 10-K for fiscal 2025.
Class B shares make up only about 6.9% of all Alphabet shares, but each one carries 10 votes. Page and Brin owned about 89.3% of the Class B stock at the end of 2025. That is how two people control a company with more than 12 billion shares.
Why do websites show different numbers for the founders? Figures online vary, often because voting power and ownership get mixed up. Alphabet’s filings report the founders’ voting power, 52.7%, not their share of total stock. I use the filed numbers here.
Who Owns Alphabet Inc.?
Alphabet is owned by its shareholders. Anyone can buy Class A (GOOGL) or Class C (GOOG) shares on the Nasdaq. Class B shares do not trade on the market and are mostly held by the founders.
So the owners of Alphabet include:
- The founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who hold most Class B shares
- Investment firms like BlackRock
- Individual investors and funds that buy GOOGL and GOOG shares
Who Made Google?
Google was founded in 1998 by American computer scientists Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Larry Page and Sergey Brin found Google |
| 2015 | Google creates Alphabet as its parent company (completed October 2) |
| 2019 | Page steps down as Alphabet CEO and Brin gives up the president role; Sundar Pichai becomes CEO of Alphabet |
| 2026 | Page and Brin still hold about 52.7% of the voting power |
When they stepped back in December 2019, Page and Brin stayed on as board members and shareholders, as Engadget reported. They remain Alphabet’s controlling shareholders today.
Who Is the CEO of Google?
Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Google and Alphabet. He has led Google since before the 2019 change and became Alphabet’s CEO in December 2019, when the founders stepped back.
Pichai owns 227,560 Class A shares, less than 1% of the company. As CEO, he runs the business day to day, while Page and Brin hold the voting control.
How Big Is Google?
Here are Alphabet’s latest numbers:
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Revenue, Q3 2026 | $127.6 billion (up 25%) |
| Google Cloud revenue, Q3 2026 | $30.7 billion (up 103%) |
| YouTube ads revenue, Q3 2026 | $11.2 billion (up 9%) |
| Employees (Dec 31, 2025) | 190,820 |
| Shares outstanding (Jan 28, 2026) | More than 12 billion |
Alphabet reported its third-quarter results on October 28, 2026. Google Cloud revenue more than doubled from a year earlier.
What Does Alphabet Own?
Alphabet’s annual report splits its businesses into three groups:
| Segment | Main businesses |
|---|---|
| Google Services | Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Play, Google Photos, Google Drive, Gemini, devices, and ads |
| Google Cloud | Google Cloud Platform and Google Workspace |
| Other Bets | Waymo (self-driving rides), X (the “moonshot factory”), and other early-stage businesses |
Other Alphabet companies include Verily, Calico, Wing, Isomorphic Labs, Google Fiber, GV, and CapitalG.
Who owns Gmail and YouTube? Both are part of Google Services, so Google runs them and Alphabet owns them. Waymo is a separate Alphabet company. Learn more in our guide on who owns Waymo and our list of Waymo competitors.
To see who Google competes with, read our list of Google competitors. For a full business review, see our Google SWOT analysis and PESTLE analysis of Google.
Bottom Line
Google is owned by Alphabet, Alphabet is owned by its shareholders, and two founders hold the votes. For me, Google is the clearest example of the gap between owning a company and controlling it. Page and Brin left their executive jobs in 2019, yet their Class B shares still give them about 52.7% of the vote. Compare it with how Apple’s ownership works in our guide on who owns Apple.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Microsoft does not own Google. Google is owned by Alphabet Inc. Alphabet’s 2026 proxy statement lists only Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and BlackRock as holders of more than 5% of a voting share class.
Yes. Google was founded in 1998 by American computer scientists Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Its parent company, Alphabet, is headquartered at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway in Mountain View, California, and trades on the Nasdaq.
No. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., which is a public company. Anyone can buy Alphabet’s Class A shares (GOOGL) or Class C shares (GOOG) on the Nasdaq stock market through a brokerage account.
BlackRock owns part of Google through Alphabet stock. It reported 356.9 million Class A shares, 6.1% of that class and about 2.5% of Alphabet’s total voting power. That makes it the largest outside holder listed in the 2026 proxy.
They no longer run the company day to day. Page stepped down as Alphabet CEO in December 2019, and Brin gave up his president title. Both remain employees, board members, and Alphabet’s controlling shareholders.
