“From May to August 2024, Humane received more smart badge returns than orders” – The Verge

A useless gadget
Maybe this is why everything was planned?
“Deliveries began in April 2024. In May, Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that Humane was considering selling the business. Later, the NYT learned that negotiations were underway with HP.”

Maybe the guys realized that this was a useless item, so they decided to get rid of it at the beginning of the sale for a quick sum and ride off into the sunset.