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  • In January, Alphabet announced it would shutter its internet balloon business, Loon.
  • It followed years of inflating costs and geopolitical headaches for the team.
  • Meanwhile, the company tried to conjure new ways to make money from cruise liners, offshore oil rigs, and more.
  • For years, images of Loon's stratospheric balloons could be spotted throughout Google's campuses. Employees pitching to advertising clients would sometimes slip in a picture or mention of the project in their otherwise dull, statistic-heavy decks. Occasionally, a balloon could be spotted drifting across the presentation welcoming new employees to the company.