If it sustains the rise into trading on Tuesday, it will be the first time that Google has taken the crown of the world's biggest company, dethroning Apple which has held the title for around three years. On Monday, Facebook also surpassed oil giant ExxonMobil's market capitalisation. Including Microsoft, the world's four-biggest companies are now all technology groups Google's results were also notable as the first in which the revenues of the core Google business, made up of the company's internet operation including its search engine, YouTube, and the Android operating system among others, was disclosed separately from its "other bets" - ambitious businesses such as its experimental unit X and health operation Calico.
Last year, Google announced that it would restructure itself into several different companies under the Alphabet umbrella, a move designed to give investors more transparency and allow the chiefs of each division more freedom. Alphabet reported a 5.3pc increase in fourth-quarter profits to $4.9bn on Monday night and an 18pc increase in revenue to $21.3bn.
Writer - Liam McClelland | @Liamicy