Mineral, which became an independent subsidiary last year after graduating from Alphabet's X lab, has struggled to find a way forward after it became clear it no longer had a future under Alphabet. The financial terms of the deal with Driscoll’s have not been disclosed. Alphabet's decision to pull out of the project has been met with disappointment, especially from partners like Driscoll’s who felt that the project was just beginning to gain momentum. This comes as Alphabet's other "moonshot" projects also struggle to achieve commercial viability.
Key takeaways:
- Alphabet is reportedly discontinuing its Mineral robotic agriculture startup due to intense competition and low profit margins.
- The company plans to license some of its farming technology to Driscoll’s, a berry producer that has been working with autonomous “plant buggies” created by Mineral.
- Mineral, which was spun off as an independent subsidiary last year, will no longer be an Alphabet company, and its employees are seeking ways to continue their work outside of Alphabet.
- Alphabet's other "moonshot" lab projects, including fish-tracking cameras, grocery delivery drones, and internet-providing balloons, have struggled to achieve commercial viability, leading to job cuts and a turn to outside investors for funding.