This story is available exclusively to Business Insider
subscribers.
Become an Insider
and start reading now.
Have an account?
.
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.