PeoplePC is an

Internet service provider An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise private ...

owned by

EarthLink EarthLink is an American Internet service provider. It went public on NASDAQ in January 1997. Much of the company's growth was via acquisition; by 2000, ''The New York Times'' described Earthlink as the "second largest Internet service provider ...

History

PeoplePC was founded by

Nick Grouf Nick Grouf is an American entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist. Described as a "pioneer of the Web 1.0 generation", Grouf is the co-founder and managing director of Alpha Edison, a venture capital fund, and the founder of Clementine Capital, ...

, Max Metral and David Waxman, and launched in the United States in October 1999. It bundled personal computers with internet service and access to discounted products and services. Initially funded by SoftBank, the company's mission was to "democratize technology." Its business model included collective buying, which allowed the company to generate additional revenue from advertising, partnerships, and premium products. PeoplePC Flyer

In February 2000, the company announced that they would provide PCs and Internet access to all of the employees of Ford Motor Co. and

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the List of airlines by foundation date, world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atla ...

. Ford announced a cooperation with PeoplePC shortly after and said they would provide all of their then 350,000 employees with internet access for as little as $5 a month. The deal with Delta led to a total of around 420,000 potential new customers for PeoplePC. The deal with Ford was eventually canceled. In October it was announced, that PeoplePC would open European subsidiaries to enable overseas corporations and governments to offer their employees low-cost home computers and Internet access and later developed partnerships with

Vivendi Universal Vivendi SE is a French mass media holding company headquartered in Paris. Widely known as the owner of Gameloft, Groupe Canal+, Havas, Editis, Prisma Media, Vivendi Village and Dailymotion, the company has activities in television, film, video ...

, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'',

Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBS, BCBSA) is a federation, or supraorganization, of, in 2022, 34 independent and locally operated BCBSA companies that provide health insurance in the United States to more than 106 million people. It was f ...

, and the National Trades Union of Singapore. PeoplePC donated internet access to low-income families through President Clinton's ClickStart initiative, and provided both computers and computer training to economically disadvantaged students through its PeopleGive program. PeoplePC debuted on

NASDAQ The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...

in August 2000 under the ticker PEOP at $10 a share and its stock declined quickly. In 2002 the company was acquired by

. PeoplePC has been managed by CEO

since 2002.

Products and services

When the company started, PeoplePC focused on selling three-year memberships to consumers. As part of the membership, customers received a new computer, which was replaced every three years. They were also granted access to the company's buyer's club and were provided with Internet access and a warranty. PeoplePC then focused more on companies and their employees. Today PeoplePC offers internet services in the main categories internet access, security & tools, and website & marketing. They also provide webmail service to their users without any extra charges.

Recognitions

In 2006,

J.D. Power and Associates J.D. Power is an American consumer research, data, and analytics firm based in Troy, Michigan. The company was founded in 1968 by James David Power III. It conducts surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality, and buyer behavior for the aut ...

ranked PeoplePC Online as the first value-priced dial-up provider to receive the highest ratings from customers in four factors: cost of service, billing, e-mail services, and offerings.PeoplePC’s Service Ranked Highest in Customer Satisfaction By J.D. Power and Associates
.'', Internet Service Provider Residential Customer Satisfaction Survey, 2006''

References

External links

PeoplePC website
Telecommunications companies established in 1999 Internet service providers of the United States EarthLink Companies based in Atlanta 2002 mergers and acquisitions {{US-internet-company-stub