Alphabet GOOG vs GOOGL

Alphabet Inc. has two classes of publicly traded shares: Class A (GOOGL) and Class C (GOOG).

Class A shares (GOOGL) carry voting rights, meaning that shareholders who own Class A shares are entitled to vote on matters such as board elections and corporate policies. Each Class A share carries one vote.

Class C shares (GOOG), on the other hand, do not have any voting rights. This means that shareholders who own Class C shares are not entitled to vote on matters such as board elections and corporate policies.

The two classes of shares were created in 2014 when Google Inc. (now Alphabet Inc.) announced a stock split. The split was intended to allow Google's founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, to maintain control over the company while still raising capital through the sale of additional shares. The split created a new class of shares (Class C) that did not have voting rights, while the existing Class A shares retained their voting rights.