It is no hidden fact that Google wants to be all around you (Yes, Literally !). And while Nest, or Android TV, or the IoT focused Project Brillo weren’t enough, Google is now looking to launch its own home services providing service, by hiring the tech team behind Homejoy, the lawsuit-stricken home service startup which is set to cease operations by the end of this month, reports <Re/code>.
Citing sources close to the development, the Re/Code reports states, that around 20 members from Homejoy’s product and engineering team will be joining Google to build out the company’s technology for matching local professionals.
For a start, Google’s home services platform — which will obviously be targeted towards online users — will help you find lawn mowers, painters, plumbers, cleaners and the like. While Google confirmed to Re/Code about the hiring, it declined to comment on what it plans to do with it.
Homejoy, which raised funds to the tune of $40 Million from investors including Google Ventures, is currently juggling between four different lawsuits — all of them circling around whether Homejoy is working with service professionals on contractor basis or as full-time employees.
While the debate is similar to what Uber is currently embroiled in, the cab-hailing app has a huge, huge, very huge warchest to fight off those lawsuits, whereas Homejoy found it hard to sustain the relatively expensive legal battle. Ans even though they got a few assurances, founders believed that would have diverted Homejoy from its original vision.
Announcement of Google trying to get into the home services market, shouldn’t be a complete surprise to regular tech-reading audience. A Buzzfeed report earlier this year, also indicated that Google has plans to get into this space. The platform, as per Buzzfeed was supposed to come out in spring, which obviously didn’t happen.
We’ve contacted Google to get more info regarding this, and will get back once we have a confirmation.
