Sidewalk Labs Products Will Be Folded Into Google Proper

Alphabet's smart city project is winding down and Google will take over its products. From a report: Sidewalk Labs CEO Dan Doctoroff announced the news in a letter, in which he noted he is stepping down for health-related reasons. A spokesperson confirmed to Engadget that Sidewalk Labs products will be folded into Google, though Alphabet plans to spin out Canopy Buildings as a separate company. "Starting next year, Sidewalk products Pebble, Mesa, Delve, and Affordable Electrification will join Google, becoming core to Google's urban sustainability product efforts," Doctoroff wrote. "These products will continue to be led by Sidewalk Labs President of Urban Products Prem Ramaswami and Chief Technology Officer Craig Nevill-Manning, both Google alumni, and the teams will continue to execute on their vision and serve customers."

Does anyone know the history of Google products?

[Actually, I do RTFA]

Does making them core Google products herald their likely discontinuation or does that meant they've passes some bubble and are likely to continue for another few years? I'm not really sure which way this cuts anymore.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

If its not in a flagship silo, its going to be abandoned. Put yourself in a strong up-and-coming developer's shoes. Its better for your career and your wallet to work on a flagship team instead of some side-show few people have even heard of. This means good developers transfer out of those side projects and move on to greener pastures. Without strong developers and strong leaders to sell the value of the project within google, they wither and die, eventually being shut down.

Sidewalk labs' projects do

Re:

[Retired ICS]

One could only hope that Google/Alphabet discontinues their spying operations. However, it does give new use to chain-mail as a wearable farraday cage.

They were gonna collect + market the data anyway

[93 Escort Wagon]

So this just means Google is being a little more straightforward.