X, previously
Google X, is a semi-secret research and development facility created by
Google and (since October 2015) operated as a subsidiary of
Alphabet Inc. Verily, a former Google X subsidiary became a direct independent subsidiary of Alphabet at this time also. X is located about a half mile from Google's corporate headquarters, the
Googleplex, in
Mountain View, California. Work at the lab is overseen by
Sergey Brin, one of
Google's co-founders and President of
Alphabet, while scientist and entrepreneur
Astro Teller (Captain of Moonshots) directs day-to-day activities. The lab started up in 2010 with the development of a self-driving car.