Parent company Google turns X-projects Loon and Wing into independent companies

Google parent company Alphabet has transferred the Loon en Wing projects to independent companies. Loon wants to bring internet to remote areas with balloons; Wing wants to develop delivery via drones.

Loon and Wing will continue to fall under Alphabet, the company reports, but are no longer ‘moonshots’ under X. This indicates that Alphabet believes the companies can stand on their own two feet and thus become profitable businesses in the long run.

Last year, Loon already provided 100,000 residents of Puerto Rico with a 4G connection. Wing wants to reduce the costs and environmental impact of transport by transporting goods through the air via drones. In addition to Google, Alphabet has more companies under its wing, such as Verily for e-health and Waymo for autonomous driving. Google X is Alphabet’s testing ground, in which the company investigates whether projects can lead to independent companies.