Alphabet changes results format to separate Google, other bets

Hoping to provide greater clarity into the performance of its many holdings, Alphabet said it would report financial results under two segments, Google and “Other Bets,” when it releases fourth-quarter earnings on Monday. Under Google, Alphabet will report the results of its main Internet and related businesses such as search, ads, maps, YouTube, Android, Chrome and Google Play, and hardware products such as Chromecast, Chromebooks and Nexus, as well as its virtual reality offerings. “Other Bets” will detail Alphabet’s other businesses including Access/Google Fiber, Calico, Nest, Verily (formerly known as Google Life Sciences), GV (once known as Google Ventures), Google Capital and X, better known as Google X. Alphabet said there would be no changes to its consolidated financial reporting but some changes would be made to how it breaks out revenue. Investors and analysts had praised the move to the Alphabet structure as a shift towards greater transparency and fiscal discipline when it was announced in August. It will provide investors their first detailed peek into the finances of the parts of Google outside its highly profitable search engine. In a blog post announcing the changes, Alphabet’s chief executive, Larry Page, said the change allows the company to take the “long-term view” of its holdings and invest “at the scale of the opportunities and resources we see.” “Fundamentally we believe this (structure) allows us more management scale, as we can run things independently that aren’t very related.” Since the Aug. 10 announcement, Alphabet’s stock price has climbed almost 13 percent, closing at $748.30 on Thursday. In addition, the company is close to displacing Apple as the most valuable U.S. tech company. Reuters