Support.com explained

Support.com, Inc.
Logo Alt:Support.com logo
Type:Subsidiary
Industry:Services, Tech Support, Help Desk, Online tech support
Founders:Mark Pincus, Scott Dale, Cadir Lee
Foundation:1997
Location City:Wilmington, Delaware
Sunnyvale, California
Key People:Lance Rosenzweig
(President & CEO)
Products:TechSolutions, Nexus/Cloud, RightHandIT
Location Country:USA
Owner:Greenridge Generation Holdings
Homepage:www.support.com

Support.com, Inc. is a technical support company for businesses and consumers. It was headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware with an administrative office in Sunnyvale, California. The company's services are performed on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, supporting connected and smart devices. These services are performed by the company's remote, full-time workforce based mainly in the U.S.[1]

Support.com also owns RightHand IT, headquartered in Louisville, Colorado, which provides managed IT services for small businesses.

History

In September 1997, Mark Pincus, Scott Dale, and Cadir Lee launched Replicase Inc., a software company in Redwood City, California.[2] [3] [4] SoftBank invested $2.5 million in the company.[2]

In October 1998, Replicase was renamed Tioga Systems, Inc., coinciding with the relocation of the corporate headquarters to Palo Alto, California.[5] The company's focus moved to self-healing software, the idea that Windows applications could automatically fix any problems they encountered.[6]

In August 1999, Radha Basu, coming from Hewlett-Packard, was appointed president and CEO, with Pincus moving to chairman.[7] [8]

In December 1999, the company changed its corporate name to Support.com, then headquartered in Redwood City.[9] [10] Its focus shifted to providing support software for enterprise companies.[11]

The company went public with an IPO on July 19, 2000, backed by Credit Suisse First Boston.[12] [13] [14]

On March 28, 2002, Support.com was renamed SupportSoft, Inc.[4] [15] On June 23, 2009, the enterprise technology of SupportSoft was acquired by Consona Corporation,[11] and the company name was changed back to Support.com.[16] Support.com acquired Core Networks in 2004; YourTechOnline in 2008; and Sammsoft in 2009.[17] In 2011, the company acquired SUPERAntiSpyware.[18] In 2012, the company acquired RightHand IT.

In April 2006, Basu stepped down,[19] and Josh Pickus was named CEO, coming from CA Technologies. He aimed to bring the business back to profitability by focusing on direct customer support, as opposed to primarily licensing software to large service providers.[20] On April 1, 2014, Pickus resigned from his position as president and CEO.[21] In May 2014, Elizabeth Cholawsky, formerly of Citrix Systems, was announced as Support.com's new CEO.[22] In October 2016, Richard Bloom was appointed interim president and CEO, with the interim tag later being removed.[23] On August 10, 2020, Support.com announced that Lance Rosenzweig would succeed Bloom as president and CEO.[24]

In March 2020, the company hired over 100 additional remote customer support agents to keep up with a higher demand for their services, bringing their total number of employees to 1,200.[25] [26]

On September 15, 2021, cryptocurrency mining and power generation company Greenridge Generation Holdings acquired Support.com in a reverse takeover.[27]

In 2023, SuperAntiSpyware was sold to RealDefense SE.[28]

Products and services

In October 2013, Support.com announced the latest version of its Nexus Service Delivery Platform, which included expanded service for mobile devices and real-time analytics.[30] ts TechSolutions consumer tech support was announced in October 2019.[31]

Customers and partnerships

The company's customers have included Zendesk, Upclick, SiOnyx, Cox Communications and Comcast.[32] [33] [34] [35] The company has entered into partnerships with companies including InstallerNet, Office Depot, AOL, Staples, Sony, OnForce, and Absolute Software Corporation.[11] [36] The company also launched a partnership with Target to provide tech support for Target's MyTGTtech solution.[37]

Litigation

On February 27, 2012, a class action lawsuit was filed against Support.com and AOL, claiming that their Computer Checkup software would offer to perform a free scan, purposely find problems that did not actually exist and then offer to sell software to remedy those problems. Both AOL and Support.com settled the claim on May 30, 2013, by offering a refund to consumers up to a total amount of $8.5 million.[38] [39]

In December 2016, a complaint was filed against Support.com and Office Depot alleging their free PC Health Check Program used by Office Depot purposely misidentified malware symptoms, and that consumers were then encouraged to purchase repair services. In March 2019, Office Depot agreed to pay $25 million and Support.com agreed to pay $10 million to settle the complaint. Support.com suspended use of the PC Health Check Program in 2016.[40] [41] [42]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Remote companies value the skills veterans offer — and are seeking candidates right now . cnbc.com . 11 November 2019 . 14 November 2019.
  2. Web site: Gruner. Stephanie L. Start Up. Cash Out. Repeat.. Inc.. 15 November 2016. 15 May 1998.
  3. Web site: How Zynga grew from gaming outcast to $9 billion social game powerhouse . venturebeat.com . 12 December 2011 . 14 November 2019.
  4. Book: Lester . David . How They Started Digital . 2012 . Crimson . 9781780591612 .
  5. Web site: Company renamed Tioga Systems, Inc..
  6. Web site: Tioga Updates Self-Healing Software . informationweek.com . 14 November 2019.
  7. Web site: Start-Up Tioga Poised for Growth; Wins Excite@Home Deal .
  8. Web site: 7 August 1999 . People In Business . 14 November 2019 . sfgate.com.
  9. Web site: Company renamed support.com, Inc..
  10. Web site: Computer, Heal Thyself . forbes.com . 14 November 2019.
  11. Web site: Where social media's "It Boy" cut his teeth . fortune.com . 14 November 2019.
  12. Web site: Support.com soars in debut . cnet.
  13. News: Ticker Talk . Los Angeles Times . July 20, 2000.
  14. Web site: Support.com Surges in IPO; Argonaut Also Closes Higher . Wall Street Journal . 14 November 2019.
  15. Web site: Company renamed SupportSoft, Inc..
  16. Web site: Company renamed Support.com, Inc..
  17. Web site: Support.com - Sammsoft . 14 November 2019 . startupranking.com.
  18. Web site: SUPERAntiSpyware . 14 November 2019 . pcrisk.com.
  19. Web site: 2 April 2007 . Insider Trading: An era is ending at SupportSoft . 14 November 2019 . mercurynews.com.
  20. Web site: SupportSoft: Working with Dell, and betting its future on PC problems . 14 November 2019 . fortune.com.
  21. Web site: Support.com CEO Josh Pickus to Step Down in April . 14 November 2019 . support.com.
  22. Web site: Elizabeth Cholawsky will call the shots on this piece of the cloud . 14 November 2019 . bizjournals.com.
  23. Web site: Support.com Names Rick Bloom Interim President and CEO . 14 November 2019 . support.com.
  24. Web site: Support.com Announces CEO Transition . 14 August 2020 . Barron's.
  25. News: Customer Calls to Companies Rise Amid Coronavirus, but Operators Aren't Standing By . 22 April 2020 . Wall Street Journal . March 29, 2020.
  26. News: Pandemic could shift tech support industry to telecommuting . 22 April 2020 . TechRepublic . March 27, 2020.
  27. Web site: 2021-09-23 . After Merger with Support.com, Greenidge Generation Provokes Interest . dead . 2023-08-23 . Nasdaq.com . 2023-08-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230824030501/https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/after-merger-with-support.com-greenidge-generation-provokes-interest-2021-09-23 .
  28. Web site: 2023-01-27 . Software Security Acquisition: RealDefense Buys SUPERAntiSpyware from Support.com - . 2023-08-24 . MSSP Alert . en.
  29. Web site: Support.com Introduces Nexus Self-Support . destinationcrm.com . 14 November 2019.
  30. Web site: Support.com Updates Its Nexus Service Delivery Platform . destinationcrm.com . 14 November 2019.
  31. Web site: Support.com Introduces TechSolutions, a Better Tech Support Experience from Start to Finish . support.com . 14 November 2019.
  32. Web site: Support.com Cloud Agent Support Adopted by Upclick . contactcenterworld.com . 14 November 2019.
  33. Web site: Sionyx and Support.com Launch Innovative Support Experience . marketwatch.com . 14 November 2019.
  34. Web site: Support.com and InstallerNet Partner to Bring Integrated Customer Support Solutions to Manufacturers and Service Providers . twice.com . 14 November 2019.
  35. Web site: Support.com: Buy Before It's Too Late . seekingalpha.com . 14 November 2019.
  36. Web site: Staples Offers Tablet Setup and Security Service . risnews.com . 14 November 2019.
  37. Web site: Target Tech supports the following . targettechsupport.com . 14 November 2019.
  38. News: AOL, Support.Com Settle Scareware Lawsuit For $8.5 Million . MediaPost . May 20, 2013 . October 7, 2014 . Davis, Wendy.
  39. Web site: FINAL JUDGMENT ORDER. Signed by Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley on 5/30/2013.
  40. Web site: Office Depot and Tech Support Firm Will Pay $35 Million to Settle FTC Allegations That They Tricked Consumers into Buying Costly Computer Repair Services . ftc.gov . 27 March 2019 . 14 November 2019.
  41. Web site: Office Depot and Support.com to pay $35 million . washingtonpost.com . 14 November 2019.
  42. Web site: Office Depot, Support.com Fined $35M for Tricking Consumers . pcmag.com . 14 November 2019.

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