Who Owns Inc?

Alphabet Inc.

“Inc.” in a company name indicates incorporation. This designation carries legal significance that helps safeguard shareholders if there are business issues.

Google operates through three main segments, Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets. Google Services generates most of its revenues, including advertising sales and searches on Gmail, Maps, Drive, Play Store, and YouTube, as well as additional products and platforms.

Investors can purchase Alphabet shares in three classes – A, B, and C – each with different voting rights; Class A shares allow holders one vote, while Class B shares have 10 per share. Some of Alphabet’s most significant shareholders include brokerage and asset management firms like The Vanguard Group, Capital Group, and State Street, which hold its stock directly for clients or indirectly via mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Larry and Sergey remain the critical decision-makers at Alphabet because they control all class B shares, which allows them to cast ten votes for every share they own. There could be valid arguments against stripping them of this supervoting power should it become apparent that they used Alphabet to funnel funds into projects without value to other investors.

Google Inc.

Google is one of the most influential tech companies, earning its revenue primarily through advertising. Over time, it has expanded into an international corporation offering services and products like email, online document creation, mobile phone software, mapping software, and video sharing. Google’s founders, Larry Page, and Sergey Brin, still hold Class B shares – supervoting shares – which give them control of Google.

Page and Brin, graduate students at Stanford University at the time, developed Google graduate students in 1998 using PageRank technology. This algorithm ranks websites based on how closely they meet the user’s query criteria. Their stake in Alphabet (which later changed its name to include “Other Bets”) has made them among the world’s wealthiest people. Yet, they remain private individuals who rarely speak publicly about owning any part of Alphabet.

Apple Inc.

Apple, founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976, is an iconic American success story. It has grown into a global powerhouse worth $860 billion from humble garage origins.

Apple Inc is an international technology corporation that designs, produces, and markets mobile devices, personal computers, tablet computers, computer software applications, and online services. One of the world’s most renowned brands, it has transformed many industries through products like iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, Mac OSX computers, and Apple Watch. At the same time, its software applications include iOS, macOS, and iCloud services.

Tim Cook succeeded Steve Jobs as CEO in 2011, previously serving as Apple’s COO and overseeing worldwide sales and operations. In addition, Cook held director roles at Genentech and Nike; his ownership represents less than one percent of Apple stock. Tim joined Apple from PC maker Compaq/IBM, where he spent 12 years.

Amazon Inc.

Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer and an industry leader in cloud computing, digital streaming services, artificial intelligence, and more. Established in 1994, the company provides consumers with products and services such as retail goods, food items, computing services, video streaming, music security, etc. Jeff Bezos owns a significant share of Amazon and can partially attribute its success to his leadership style and focus on customer satisfaction; his stake in Amazon is estimated at approximately $90 billion!

Amazon boasts an estimated market cap of nearly $1 trillion and ranks among the world’s most valuable companies. It is majority owned by company insiders such as Jeff Bezos and Andrew Jassy; major institutional shareholders include Vanguard and BlackRock. Amazon holds one class of shares; each vote gives equal influence, giving Bezos outsized influence despite only controlling 12.3% of votes cast in total.