Verizon Discontinues BlueJeans Video-Conferencing App: The Impact of the Changing Market Landscape
Verizon to Shut Down BlueJeans Video-Conferencing App
Verizon dropped hundreds of millions on BlueJeans at the height of the pandemic lockdowns. Three years and some change later, the lesser-known video-conferencing app is done for, the telecom giant told users today.
In a mass email, Verizon wrote that it “made the difficult decision to sunset our suite of BlueJeans products.” 9to5Google first reported the news. (Verizon is AsumeTech’s former parent company.)
Verizon added that it chose to kill the B2B app “due to the changing market landscape.” That changing landscape has everything to do with Zoom, which dominated the COVID-19 video-conferencing boom and lives on as a prominent service for businesses, alongside competitors such as Google Hangouts. Yet, even Zoom isn’t trading anywhere near its October 2020 peak.
BlueJeans was founded in 2011 by former chief technology officer Alagu Periyannan and former CEO and head of product Krish Ramakrishnan. Within two years of the Verizon deal going through, both co-founders left — as did Ramakrishnan’s successor, former CEO Quentin Gallivan, along with former CFO Robert Park.
The first BlueJeans features to go, as of August 31, will be its basic and free trial tiers. A member of BlueJeans’ support staff told AsumeTech by phone that the service will continue to operate normally for other users until at least December 2023.
For now, the BlueJeans website still reads, “Nothing fits better than BlueJeans. Meet for as long as you want. Forever.”
Verizon has announced its decision to shut down BlueJeans, a video-conferencing app that it acquired during the peak of the pandemic lockdowns. In a mass email to users, Verizon stated that it made the difficult decision due to the changing market landscape and the dominance of Zoom in the video-conferencing space. BlueJeans, founded in 2011, saw the departure of its co-founders and CEOs after the Verizon deal. The app will gradually phase out certain features, starting with its basic and free trial tiers. However, the service will continue to operate for other users until at least December 2023.
What are your thoughts on Verizon’s decision to shut down BlueJeans? Are you currently using BlueJeans or have you switched to other video-conferencing apps like Zoom? Share your experiences and opinions in the comments below.
Verizon to Shut Down BlueJeans Video-Conferencing App
With the increasing competition and the market dominance of Zoom, Verizon has decided to sunset its suite of BlueJeans products. The decision comes after the departure of BlueJeans’ co-founders and CEOs following the Verizon acquisition. While some features will be phased out from August 31, the service will continue to be available for other users until at least December 2023. Share your thoughts and experiences on this news in the comments below.
