If you have been following tech news within the past couple of week you may have heard something about Google and Alphabet. Without getting into the specifics from the business perspective, all you need to know is that Google has reorganized itself into a parent company called Alphabet in order to spur innovation and work on ambitious tech projects. The Google search engine that you’ve been using for years still exists, but now projects like Google’s self-driving car, mobile divisions, etc. belong to Alphabet as opposed to Google. The move is meant to please shareholders more than consumers, but there are some details that might have an impact on how you interact with Google or Alphabet in the future.
When you think of Google, you probably think about the search engine as opposed to the other wonky tech devices and programs that they are trying to force down your throat (Google+ anyone?). You can breathe a sigh of relief because the Google search engine will remain exactly as it has been for years. Google as you know it has just become a small cog in a much larger company. Alphabet is now the company, and Google is more like sub company within Alphabet. Again, this won’t do much to your day to day experiences with Google, but you may start to see more autonomy over time when using Google. The types of ads you see will alter slightly depending on whatever projects are going on within the other Alphabet companies, but you won’t be forced to connect your Google+ or YouTube account together just so you can function online. Details are fairly limited as of right now, but with a little more breathing room, Google can now focus and innovate itself into becoming a better search engine for you the consumer.
Transitioning from Google will allow Alphabet to develop their more experimental projects, which may also impact you if these projects ever come to fruition. Take Google’s self-driving car for instance. While the project was initially under Google’s leadership, it has now become an independent project under Alphabet. With more independence comes more innovation, including the ability to purchase other startup companies in order to help develop the self-driving car quicker than before. Even projects like Google Glass, which by the way has not been cancelled for whatever reason, will now be freed from the consumer Internet market, giving them the power to take wing even faster. Projects like these are a few years off sure, but the likelihood that they will come to fruition for consumers is even more likely now that they have become independent companies under Alphabet.
Google has been such a well-known brand for years, so completely rebranding and reorganizing their entire company is an ambitious move. If everything works the way it’s supposed to, we may see innovation in transportation, urban planning, medicine and social networking, all thanks to the new Alphabet. It’s a huge risk for Google to take, but Google has never been a cautious company. As of right now, we can say goodbye to Google and hello to Alphabet.
What are your thoughts on the new rebranding of Google? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!