NPOC Communications Chair Olévié KOUAMI posted links to information about the re-organization of Google. Given the physical size of Google in the Internet ecosystem I, as Chair of the NPOC Policy Committee, would like to offer a brief analytical comment as to the (/non/)importance of this organizational restructuring by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin as far as the NGO and Civil Society communities are concerned. The new corporation, Alphabet, is a holding company encompassing the various ventures undertaken by Page and Brin with Google funding. They include Google, aero-space, health care devices, etc. Alphabet is basically an organizational structure to: (a) allow each venture to operate with its own independent, but accountable, management structure; and (b) capture the benefits of favorable tax laws. What does this mean for the mission of NGO and Civil Society constituencies? Basically nothing. Where there may be impacts from activities such as user data mining, nothing has changed. If and when there are changes they will occur in and by Google itself, and not Alphabet. Sam Lanfranco, Chair, NPOC Policy Committee