MOUNTAIN VIEW — Loon LLC, an Alphabet moonshot created to bring the internet to remote places, has decided to lay off its workers — but many are being hired in other positions with the tech titan, which owns Google.
The Silicon Valley company was formed with an ambitious premise: find ways to create a high-altitude wireless network that could speed internet connections to remote or rural areas, as well as connect people cut off by a disaster.
Mountain View-based Loon decided to wind down the company after it wasn’t able to craft a viable and sustainable business model.
The move to wind down Loon’s operations resulted in the layoffs of 151 workers at its headquarters in Mountain View, according to an official notice the company provided to the state Employment Development Department.
“The separation of employment of the affected employees with the company in connection with winding down the company is expected to be permanent,” Molly de Reyna, head of people operations with Loon LLC, stated in the official notice to the EDD.