Two of Alphabet's high-flying startups are leaving the nest.
Loon and Wing are graduating from X, Alphabet's secretive incubator known as the "moonshot factory." Loon aims to deliver internet signals via hot air balloons, while Wing builds airborne delivery drones.
By graduating, they are considered full-fledged businesses and will be part of Alphabet's "other bets," aside from the company's main cash cow, Google. They join companies like smart-thermostat maker Nest, health-data firm Verily and self-driving car company Waymo.
Astro Teller, X's captain of moonshots, says on a blog that the two companies now "seem a long way from crazy" after having started as X projects several years ago.
Loon, for instance, provided internet service from the stratosphere to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria devastated the island last year.
