H.265 predates AV1 by a good margin. Also, when they switched, there were not really any efficient AV1 decoders (there is dav1d now in software), and they are s

H.265 predates AV1 by a good margin. Also, when they switched, there were not really any efficient AV1 decoders (there is dav1d now in software), and they are still quite rare in hardware today. The power of H.265 came from existing decoders and the quick adoption of hardware decoders, which are important for phones and smart TVs. And your walmart craptop. I'd also bet they calculated the savings of H.265 for bandwidth and storage outweighed the cost of the lawsuit. Now they "just" gotta shell up for a license and call it a day. Or switch to AV1.