Alphabet offloads bot businesses Boston Dynamics and SCHAFT

Google parent Alphabet has offloaded its robotics businesses SCHAFT and Boston Dynamics to SoftBank. The latter sale was not unexpected, as Alphabet is thought to have wanted to rid itself of the business since March 2016, as it had missed key military contracts, was beset by management turbulence and had little prospect of …

[Your alien overlord - fear me]

Surely Alphabet was improving humans lives by not letting robots take over our jobs/sex life etc.

[imanidiot]

In other words

Ad revenue is falling and Alphabet needs different sources of income fast to pad the numbers and not look like the ship has sprung a leak.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: In other words

Alphabet's only source of income is advertising. Everything else they're involved in loses money. They're sort of like Microsoft in that regard, Microsoft makes tons of money via Windows, Windows Server, and Office, and loses money on everything else they've tried to expand into.

[Nimby]

And if so, does that apply to all robots?

You've seen the Terminator movies, right? ;)

[earl grey]

have one for the weekend

Who's the cat that won't cop out when there's danger all about? (Shaft)

Right on

Isaac Hayes - Theme From Shaft

[Anonymous Custard]

Just be honest

They're just as scared of the big dog robot as the rest of us are... ;)

[Androgynous Cow Herd]

Optionally...

Who's the cat that won't cop out when there's danger all about? (Chef)

[Anonymous Coward]

When they saw the reality of their businesses they realised there was nothing interesting, revolutionary or worth keeping from the competition. It's especially cumbersome when you have to also deal with disfunctional people.

Looked good, turned out to be shite.