Vivint is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

smart home company in the United States and Canada. It was founded by Keith Nellesen and Todd Pedersen in 1999. In 2012,

The Blackstone Group Blackstone Inc. is an American alternative investment management company based in New York City. Blackstone's private equity business has been one of the largest investors in leveraged buyouts in the last three decades, while its real estate b ...

acquired Vivint for more than $2 billion. In January 2020, the company completed a merger and became a publicly traded company on the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its liste ...

History

In 1999, Keith Nellesen and Todd Pedersen co-founded APX Alarm Security Solutions in

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Utah, fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County, Utah, Utah County and is home to Bri ...

. At the time, the company sold and installed security systems. APX Alarm Security Solutions rebranded as Vivint in February 2011. Vivint was acquired by

in November 2012. In February 2014, the company donated $1 million to the

Utah Valley University Utah Valley University (UVU) is a public university in Orem, Utah. UVU offers master's, bachelor's, associate degrees, and certificates. Previously called Utah Valley State College, the school attained university status in July 2008. History ...

, along with a $1 million investment from Vivint's CEO, to establish a professional sales program and a SMART Lab for marketing research. Vivint's former CEO Todd Pedersen appeared on the CBS television show ''

Undercover Boss ''Undercover Boss'' is a reality television series franchise created by Stephen Lambert and produced in many countries. It originated in 2009 on the British Channel 4. The show’s format features the experiences of senior executives working u ...

'' in February 2015. In 2015, Vivint became the official safety sponsor for Autism Speaks. The 2017 J.D. Power 2017 Home Security Satisfaction Study ranked Vivint as the "Highest in Home Security Customer Satisfaction" among home security brands. The 2020 Home Security Satisfaction Study ranked Vivint second, behind AT&T Digital Life. In January 2020, Vivint completed a merger with Mosaic Acquisition Corp. and became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. In December 2022, NRG announced the acquisition of Vivint Smart Home for $2.8 billion in cash, adding home security and automation to its offerings, expected to close on the first quarter of 2023.

Vivint Solar

The company launched Vivint Solar, a solar energy company, in 2011. Vivint Solar went public in October 2014 and was later purchased by Sunrun.

Vivint Arena

On October 26, 2015, Vivint acquired the

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of ...

to the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

's home arena, renaming the building as

Vivint Arena Vivint Arena (stylized as vivint arena), formerly known as Delta Center, EnergySolutions Arena and Vivint Smart Home Arena, is an indoor arena located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The arena serves as the home venue for the National Basketball Assoc ...

. The contract lasts for 10 years. In April 2018 Vivint and the Utah Jazz added a new sensory room at the arena for children with

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

spectrum disorder.

Products and services

Vivint offers home security products, including doorbell cameras, smart thermostats, indoor cameras, and integrations with lighting. In 2019, Vivint launched products for car security, and outdoor home security cameras. In 2017, Vivint announced a partnership with

Airbnb Airbnb, Inc. ( ), based in San Francisco, California, operates an online marketplace focused on short-term homestays and experiences. The company acts as a broker and charges a commission from each booking. The company was founded in 2008 b ...

to allow hosts to integrate their Airbnb account with Vivint products. In 2018, Vivint collaborated with

Google Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...

to include two Google Home Mini devices in their starter kits.

Legal issues and deceptive marketing

Vivint has been the target of many lawsuits for its

deceptive marketing False advertising is defined as the act of publishing, transmitting, or otherwise publicly circulating an advertisement containing a false claim, or statement, made intentionally (or recklessly) to promote the sale of property, goods, or servic ...

and

direct sales Direct selling consists of single-level marketing (in which a direct seller makes money by buying products from a parent organization and selling them directly to customers) and multi-level marketing (in which the direct seller may earn money ...

practices. Vivint has also both sued, and been sued by,

ADT Inc. ADT Inc., formerly The ADT Corporation, is an American company that provides residential, small and large business security system, electronic security, fire alarm, fire protection, and other related alarm system, alarm monitoring services throu ...

over allegations of patent infringement. From 2009 through 2014 the company settled lawsuits with the states of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, and

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. In 2014, Vivint settled two federal class-action lawsuits for alleged violations of the TCPA. In 2018, Vivint agreed to a $10 million settlement with ADT after ADT claimed that Vivint agents had fraudulently signed up ADT’s customers to Vivint contracts. According to ADT they received nearly 1,000 complaints by its customers over the practice. In May 2021, Vivint was fined $20 million for violations of the

Fair Credit Reporting Act The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), 15 U.S.C. § 1681 ''et seq'', is U.S. Federal Government legislation enacted to promote the accuracy, fairness, and privacy of consumer information contained in the files of consumer reporting agencies. It ...

under Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914. According to regulators, Vivint's sales representatives used the names and identities of people without their knowledge or consent in the place of customers who failed credit checks. Vivint then sold this false debt to debt collectors in violation of the FTC's Red Flags Rule. In December 2021, Vivint was sued by CPI Security over allegations that Vivint sales representatives used deceptive tactics to acquire CPI's customers, including claiming that Vivint was buying out CPI. In March 2022, Vivint settled a case with the state of

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

to pay $325,000 in penalties, and $75,000 in restitution. The Arizona Attorney General's office alleges that Vivint's sales representatives used deceptive marketing practices, including false representations of Vivint services and policies, false claims that the customer's current security company was being bought by Vivint, and non-consensual extensions of contracts.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vivint, Inc. Home automation companies Companies based in Provo, Utah Security companies of the United States Technology companies established in 1997 Privately held companies based in Utah 1997 establishments in Utah 2012 mergers and acquisitions The Blackstone Group companies Smart home hubs 2020 mergers and acquisitions Announced mergers and acquisitions