"But Alphabet decided the opportunity to greatly disrupt to energy sector had begun to dwindle. While Makani at first felt it could provide a competitive advantage by using its technology on land and in shallow water — as well as deep water — advancements in competing technologies meant that was likely no longer the case.
“That’s very sad for Makani,” Mr Teller said. “But it’s really great for the world.”
An EU report published in 2018 concurred with Alphabet’s assessment. “The technology still has a long way to go before it can reach commercialisation,” it read, noting that challenges remained in demonstrating the reliable, autonomous operation that would make the concept viable."
Shell is going to have to decide whether they think the risk/reward calculation is worth investing in the technology and the current staff. This sounds like it's not really different from a VC deciding not to continue with the next round of funding. Perhaps some other VC will be willing to throw in more money. Who knows, maybe the "Vision Fund II" will be willing to put more money in. :-)
