Who Owns Google Chrome?
Google Chrome is owned by Alphabet Inc. through its Google subsidiary. Chrome was developed internally by Google and launched in 2008. Alphabet is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the ticker symbols GOOGL and GOOG, headquartered in Mountain View, California, USA.
Parent Company
Alphabet Inc.
Founded
2008
Status
Publicly Traded
Headquarters
Mountain View, California, USA
Who Owns Google Chrome?
- Parent Company: Alphabet Inc.
- Ownership Type: Wholly owned
- Company Type: Publicly Traded
- Stock Ticker: NASDAQ: GOOGL
| Brand | Parent Company | Ownership Type |
|---|---|---|
| Google Chrome | Alphabet Inc. | Wholly owned |
History of Google Chrome
- Founded: 2008
- Founders: Google (internal development)
Google Chrome was first announced on September 2, 2008, with the first public release on Microsoft Windows. The browser was developed by a team led by Sundar Pichai, who would later become Google's CEO. Development began in 2006, though Google CEO Eric Schmidt initially opposed creating a browser for six years, citing concerns about "bruising browser wars."
Schmidt changed his mind after seeing a demonstration built by former Mozilla Firefox developers. The browser was based on the open-source Chromium project and featured a minimalist design focused on speed and simplicity. Chrome quickly gained market share, reaching 1% usage within its first year.
Chrome expanded to macOS and Linux in 2009, followed by Android in 2012 and iOS in 2012. The browser introduced significant innovations including automatic updates, sandboxing for security, and the V8 JavaScript engine. By 2012, Chrome had become the world's most popular web browser, a position it maintains today with over 70% market share globally.
About Alphabet Inc.
What does Alphabet own?
Alphabet owns Google and its products including Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Cloud, Google Workspace, Pixel hardware, and Nest. It also owns Waymo, Verily, and other early-stage ventures under the Other Bets umbrella. The Gemini AI platform is developed by Google DeepMind, an Alphabet subsidiary.
Is Alphabet publicly traded?
Yes. Alphabet trades on NASDAQ under GOOGL (Class A, one vote per share) and GOOG (Class C, no votes). The company has been publicly traded since Google's IPO in August 2004.
Who founded Alphabet?
Alphabet was formed in 2015 through a restructuring of Google, which was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Stanford University. Sundar Pichai has served as CEO of both Alphabet and Google since December 2019.
Where is Alphabet headquartered?
Alphabet is headquartered in Mountain View, California, at the Googleplex campus. The company has major offices in New York, London, Dublin, Singapore, and dozens of other cities globally.
Who owns Alphabet?
Alphabet has no single controlling shareholder economically, but co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin hold Class B shares with 10 votes per share, giving them effective voting control. Institutional investors including Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street are among the largest economic shareholders.
What is Alphabet's revenue?
Alphabet reported full-year 2025 revenues exceeding $400 billion for the first time. Q4 2025 revenue was $113.8 billion, up 18% year over year, with net income of $34.46 billion. Google Cloud Q4 2025 revenue was $17.66 billion, up 48% year over year.
What antitrust cases is Google facing?
In August 2024, a U.S. federal judge ruled that Google illegally monopolized internet search through exclusive default search agreements. Remedies proceedings were ongoing as of February 2026. A separate DOJ case targeting Google's advertising technology business concluded trial in late 2024. The EU has imposed multiple antitrust fines and the Digital Markets Act imposes ongoing obligations on Google as a designated gatekeeper.
What is Waymo?
Waymo is Alphabet's autonomous vehicle subsidiary, operating a fully driverless ride-hailing service in multiple U.S. cities. Waymo completed over 20 million fully autonomous trips through 2025 and expanded to Miami in January 2026. Waymo raised a funding round in 2025 at a $16 billion valuation.
- Founded: 2015
- Headquarters: Mountain View, California, USA
- Company Type: Publicly Traded
- Stock: NASDAQ: GOOGL
Where Is Google Chrome Made / Based?
- Headquarters: Mountain View, California, USA
- Manufacturing / Operations: United States, Global (distributed development)
Brands Owned by Alphabet Inc.
- Android - Mobile operating system developed by Google, powering billions of smartphones, t...
- Gmail - Free web-based email service developed by Google, offering email storage, spam f...
- Google Cloud - Cloud computing and enterprise services platform providing infrastructure, data ...
- Google Maps - Digital mapping and navigation service providing maps, directions, and location-...
- Google Pixel - Line of consumer electronic devices including smartphones developed by Google, f...
- Google Workspace - Cloud-based productivity and collaboration suite providing email, documents, and...
- Google - American search engine and technology company, flagship product of Alphabet Inc....
- Nest - American smart home technology company providing connected home devices and serv...
- Waymo - American autonomous driving technology company developing self-driving car techn...
Google Chrome Ownership: Pros & Cons
Advantages
- +Market-leading browser technology backed by Google's extensive R&D investment
- +Cross-platform availability across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS
- +Strong security features including automatic updates and sandboxing
- +Extensive extension ecosystem providing enhanced functionality
- +Deep integration with Google services and cloud synchronization
- +Continuous performance improvements and web standards leadership
Considerations
- -Data collection practices raise privacy concerns among some users
- -Market dominance creates potential conflicts of interest with Google services
- -Resource usage can be higher than some competing browsers
- -Dependency on Google's development priorities and feature decisions
- -Limited customization compared to open-source alternatives
- -Integration with Google services may limit user choice in default settings
Frequently Asked Questions About Google Chrome
Competitors to Google Chrome
No direct competitors found in the same category. This could be because Google Chromeoperates in a unique market segment or we're still building our competitor database.
Alphabet Inc. Stock Information
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