Argus

•

Apr 21, 2026

Summary

Alphabet maintains the largest online index of websites accessible through automated search technology. It generates revenue through online advertising, cloud services, and consumer devices. Google is now an operating segment of Alphabet. The company was founded in 1998 by Sergey Brin and Larry Page and went public in 2004.

Google's AdWords is an auction-based program that lets businesses display ads along with particular search results. Google's AdSense program enables websites in the company's network to serve targeted ads, based on search terms or web content, from AdWords advertisers. Most of the revenue generated through AdSense is shared with network partners. In addition, Alphabet owns YouTube.com, the web-based video site. It has expanded into mobile telephony with its Android smartphone operating system, into cloud services, and most recently, into autonomous driving. About 52% of Alphabet's revenue is generated outside the U.S.

On April 3, 2014, Alphabet's non-voting class C shares began trading under t

Joseph F. Bonner, CFA

Senior Analyst: Communication Services & Technology

Joe covers the Communication Services sector and selected software technology stocks for Argus. In 2010, he was named #5 Stock Picker for Telecom Services in the Wall Street Journal's Best on the Street Analyst Survey. In 2008, Joe was named #1 Stock Picker for Media: U.S. by the Financial Times and was second in the Wall Street Journal's Best on the Street Analyst Survey for Telecommunications: Fixed Line. For more than a decade, Joe worked with Technicolor Inc., where he focused on financial and legal issues. He received his Masters in Business Administration from Fordham University in New York, where he concentrated in Finance. He earned a BA in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and spent three years with the Peace Corps in Talgar, Kazakhstan, developing an English Language resource center and teaching students. Joe is a CFA charterholder.