Google is all set to lay down their footprints into another segment and this time, it is Home Service. In order to shape up their plans for their own home-service domain, the American search giant has roped in some of the engineers from Homejoy.
Homejoy, a startup that provided online users with professional home service options on-call, will be ceasing operations from July 31, Engadget reported. The company finally reached the decision to shut down operations chiefly due to four current lawsuits filed by workers wanting to be reclassified as employees.
Confirming the official shut down of Homejoy, CEO Adora Cheung posted on their blog "Although we succeeded in many ways, we also faced obstacles. There are still many unresolved challenges in the home services space. We gave it our all, but regretfully, we have made the difficult decision to cease operations."
Homejoy followed a contract worker model same as Uber, which became a highly sensitive issue in June, when the Labor Commission in California questioned the contract worker business model of the service-economy establishments used by Uber and Homejoy.
Google's home service option is quite similar to what Homejoy offered; hence, it will not only help users find cleaners, but also electricians, plumbers and all home-service needs. It will link online users directly to the home service providers rather than directing users to third-party websites. With this approach, it looks like that Google is aiming to create another strong contender in the category of home services, just like Amazon Home Services.
According to CNN Money, Google had confirmed a hiring plan where they will be picking up selective engineers from the Homejoy team.