Yep, that's the kind of thing I would have expected "don't be evil" Google from 20 years ago to do. All is not lost.
Yes and no. They did buy it and just let it die. They were so far ahead of the competition at the time.
It was dead long before Google was involved. Pebble filed for insolvency back in 2016 with Fitbit acquiring much of the assets. It was dead at this point. 5 years later Google bought Fitbit.
Looks like there is money in the business of hyped-dying startups. First Pebble, then Beeper, and now Pebble again.
Is beeper dead?
Taken over by Automattic after a publicity-stunt against Apple