X is Alphabet's moonshot factory, established in 2010 by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Based in Mountain View, California, the organisation invents and launches breakthrough technologies aimed at solving seemingly intractable problems through emerging technologies and unconventional approaches.
The organisation operates across multiple technical domains, including autonomous vehicles, life sciences, drone delivery, internet connectivity via high-altitude balloons, AI-powered biology, grid intelligence, and sustainable agriculture. Several initiatives have matured into independent ventures: Waymo (autonomous vehicles), Verily (life sciences), and Wing (drone delivery) now operate as separate Alphabet companies, whilst others including A-Life, Tapestry, and mineral remain active programmes within X.
X employs a multidisciplinary team of inventors, scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs working on projects with potential for exponential impact. The organisation's philosophy centres on pursuing moonshots - ambitious bets that attempt to address radical challenges using novel approaches, rather than incremental improvements to existing technologies.
