Maybe you remember Zee.Aero. That’s the mysterious little Silicon Valley startup that gained recognition in 2013, when it was discovered that the company was developing some kind of vertical take-off and landing craft. What was the goal? Who, besides ex-NASA and Stanford aeronautics guru Ilan Kroo, was involved? And how the hell did Zee.Aero land a spot on Google’s mega-exclusive campus?
Well, it all makes a lot more sense now. In a new feature story, Bloomberg has revealed that Zee.Aero is, in fact, a flying car company funded by none other than Larry Page, the founder of Google. Not only that, but the man is also backing another flying car company, called Kitty Hawk. Both have legit staffs, workspaces, and, presumably, an enormous bankroll. Evidently, at some point, Page was actually living on the second floor of Zee.Aero’s 30,000-foot building. In a nice touch, to protect his anonymity, employees referred to him as Gus (“Guy Up-Stairs.”)
The Bloomberg story is fascinating, a quality piece of journalism, and well worth reading. Basically, though, the takeaway is this: Larry Page really wants to build a flying car. Not because it matters, and not because we care, but because he is far too smart and rich, vaguely jealous of Elon Musk, and also a gigantic nerd, and all nerds want a flying car.
Godspeed, Larry. Godspeed.