Support.com

Last updated
Support.com, Inc.
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Services, Tech Support, Help Desk, Online tech support
Founded1997
Founders Mark Pincus, Scott Dale, Cadir Lee
Headquarters
Wilmington, Delaware
Sunnyvale, California
,
USA
ProductsTechSolutions, Nexus/Cloud, RightHandIT
OwnerGreenridge Generation Holdings
Website 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]

Contents

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] 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. [4] The company's focus moved to self-healing software, the idea that Windows applications could automatically fix any problems they encountered. [5]

In August 1999, Radha Basu, coming from Hewlett-Packard, was appointed president and CEO, with Pincus moving to chairman. [6]

In December 1999, the company changed its corporate name to Support.com, then headquartered in Redwood City. [7] Its focus shifted to providing support software for enterprise companies. [8]

The company went public with an IPO on July 19, 2000, backed by Credit Suisse First Boston. [9] [10] [11]

On March 28, 2002, Support.com was renamed SupportSoft, Inc. [12] [13] On June 23, 2009, the enterprise technology of SupportSoft was acquired by Consona Corporation, [8] and the company name was changed back to Support.com. [14] Support.com acquired Core Networks in 2004; YourTechOnline in 2008; and Sammsoft in 2009. [15] In 2011, the company acquired SUPERAntiSpyware. [16] In 2012, the company acquired RightHand IT. [15]

In April 2006, Basu stepped down, [17] and Josh Pickus was named CEO, coming from CA Technologies. [18] On April 1, 2014, Pickus resigned from his position as president and CEO. [19] In May 2014, Elizabeth Cholawsky, formerly of Citrix Systems, was announced as Support.com's new CEO. [20] In October 2016, Richard Bloom was appointed interim president and CEO, with the interim tag later being removed. [21] On August 10, 2020, Support.com announced that Lance Rosenzweig would succeed Bloom as president and CEO. [22]

On September 15, 2021, cryptocurrency mining and power generation company Greenridge Generation Holdings acquired Support.com in a reverse takeover. [23]

In 2023, SuperAntiSpyware was sold to RealDefense SE. [24]

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. [26] ts TechSolutions consumer tech support was announced in October 2019. [27]

Customers and partnerships

The company's customers have included Zendesk, Upclick, SiOnyx, Cox Communications and Comcast. [28] [29] [30] [31] The company has entered into partnerships with companies including InstallerNet, Office Depot, AOL, Staples, Sony, OnForce, and Absolute Software Corporation. [8] [32] The company also launched a partnership with Target to provide tech support for Target's MyTGTtech solution. [33]

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. [34] [35]

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. [36] [37] [38]

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References

  1. ↑ "Remote companies value the skills veterans offer — and are seeking candidates right now". cnbc.com. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  2. 1 2 Gruner, Stephanie L (15 May 1998). "Start Up. Cash Out. Repeat". Inc. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  3. ↑ "How Zynga grew from gaming outcast to $9 billion social game powerhouse". venturebeat.com. 12 December 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  4. ↑ "Company renamed Tioga Systems, Inc".
  5. ↑ "Tioga Updates Self-Healing Software". informationweek.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  6. ↑ "People In Business". sfgate.com. 7 August 1999. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  7. ↑ "Company renamed support.com, Inc".
  8. 1 2 3 "Where social media's "It Boy" cut his teeth". fortune.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  9. ↑ "Support.com soars in debut". cnet.
  10. ↑ "Ticker Talk". Los Angeles Times. July 20, 2000.
  11. ↑ "Support.com Surges in IPO; Argonaut Also Closes Higher". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  12. ↑ Lester, David (2012). How They Started Digital. Crimson. ISBN   9781780591612.
  13. ↑ "Company renamed SupportSoft, Inc".
  14. ↑ "Company renamed Support.com, Inc".
  15. 1 2 "Support.com - Sammsoft". startupranking.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  16. ↑ "SUPERAntiSpyware". pcrisk.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  17. ↑ "Insider Trading: An era is ending at SupportSoft". mercurynews.com. 2 April 2007. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  18. ↑ "SupportSoft: Working with Dell, and betting its future on PC problems". fortune.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  19. ↑ "Support.com CEO Josh Pickus to Step Down in April". support.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  20. ↑ "Elizabeth Cholawsky will call the shots on this piece of the cloud". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  21. ↑ "Support.com Names Rick Bloom Interim President and CEO". support.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  22. ↑ "Support.com Announces CEO Transition". Yahoo Finance. 2020-08-10. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  23. ↑ "After Merger with Support.com, Greenidge Generation Provokes Interest". Nasdaq.com. 2021-09-23. Archived from the original on 2023-08-24. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  24. ↑ "Software Security Acquisition: RealDefense Buys SUPERAntiSpyware from Support.com -". MSSP Alert. 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  25. ↑ "Support.com Introduces Nexus Self-Support". destinationcrm.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  26. ↑ "Support.com Updates Its Nexus Service Delivery Platform". destinationcrm.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  27. ↑ "Support.com Introduces TechSolutions, a Better Tech Support Experience from Start to Finish". support.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  28. ↑ "Support.com Cloud Agent Support Adopted by Upclick". contactcenterworld.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  29. ↑ "Sionyx and Support.com Launch Innovative Support Experience". marketwatch.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  30. ↑ "Support.com and InstallerNet Partner to Bring Integrated Customer Support Solutions to Manufacturers and Service Providers". twice.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  31. ↑ "Support.com: Buy Before It's Too Late". seekingalpha.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  32. ↑ "Staples Offers Tablet Setup and Security Service". risnews.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  33. ↑ "Target Tech supports the following". targettechsupport.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  34. ↑ Davis, Wendy (May 20, 2013). "AOL, Support.Com Settle Scareware Lawsuit For $8.5 Million". MediaPost. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  35. ↑ "FINAL JUDGMENT ORDER. Signed by Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley on 5/30/2013".
  36. ↑ "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. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  37. ↑ "Office Depot and Support.com to pay $35 million". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  38. ↑ "Office Depot, Support.com Fined $35M for Tricking Consumers". pcmag.com. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
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