From Google Search and Android, to Gmail and YouTube – Alphabet (GOOGL, GOOG) is responsible for some of the most used software products in the world, which means it’s also one of the richest companies on Earth.

In 2023 alone, the Google parent generated over $307 billion in revenue, and its market cap is currently pegged at more than $2 trillion. Beyond the Ticker takes a closer look at the company's biggest moments.

1996

Alphabet began as a research project by Stanford University students Larry Page and Sergey Brin called "Backrub". The duo soon changed the name to Google.

1998

The company purchased the Google.com domain and officially incorporated.

2000

Google began selling advertising through Google AdWords, helping to power the company’s revenue moving forward.

2001

Google brought on Eric Schmidt as CEO to grow the company into a tech powerhouse.

2004

The company launched Gmail, which quickly gained popularity thanks to its 1 GB of free storage.

On August 19, 2004, Google went public via initial public offering (IPO) on the Nasdaq at $85 per share, valuing the company at $23 billion.

2005

Google purchased struggling mobile phone software company Android for $50 million, eventually turning it into the most popular mobile operating system in the world.

2006

The company acquired popular internet video company YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock.

2011

Schmidt stepped down as CEO of Google, taking on the role of executive chairman of the board. He resigned from that position in 2018 and left the board entirely in 2019.

2015

Google created a new public holding company, Alphabet Inc., to oversee its various entities including Google itself, as well as companies like Nest, X Development, and Fiber.

Sundar Pichai, who then worked as head of Google’s products, became CEO of Google.

2019

Pichai took on the role of CEO of Alphabet.

2024

Alphabet continues to thrive, reaching a new all-time high stock closing price of $177.85 on May 21, 2024.

Alphabet is now riding the AI hype train into the future, as it spreads the technology across its massive collection of apps and services.

From tech giants to retail titans, Beyond the Ticker is a historical series that takes a deep dive into some of Wall Street's trending companies and how they transformed into the financial icons they are today.

Check out more of our Beyond the Ticker series, and be sure to tune in to Yahoo Finance.

Editor's note: This video was produced by Zach Faulds.