The difference between GOOG and GOOGL lies in their voting rights and ownership:
- Voting Rights: GOOG shares, also known as Class C shares, do not carry voting rights, while GOOGL shares, or Class A shares, do confer voting rights on shareholders1.
- Ownership and Control: The GOOG shares are issued by Alphabet as nonvoting Class C shares, which were created to maintain the control of founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who hold the majority of the voting shares through their Class A shares1.
- Market Value: Due to the lack of voting rights, GOOG shares tend to trade at a slight discount to the GOOGL shares, which are fully voting shares1.
In summary, GOOG represents nonvoting shares that are used to maintain control, while GOOGL represents fully voting shares that are traded on the market.