TLDR - In addition to the previous responses. There might be a problem with the version of the fastboot
command. Try to download the newest one via Android SDK Manager instead of default one available in the OS repository.
There is one more thing you can do to fix this issue. I had the similar problem when trying to flash Nexus Player. All the adb commands we working fine while in normal boot mode. However, after switching to fastboot mode I wasn't able to execute fastboot commands. My device was not visible in the output of the fastboot devices
command. I've set the right rules in /etc/udev/rules.d/11-android.rules file. The lsusb
command showed that the device has been pluged in.
The soultion was quite simple. I've downloaded the the fastboot
via Android Studio's SDK Manager instead of using the default one available in Ubuntu packages.
All you need is sdkmanager. Download the Android SDK Platform Tools and replace the default /usr/bin/fastboot with the new one.