Support.com spent more than two decades fixing other people's computers, then merged with a bitcoin mining company. It started in Redwood City with a simpler idea. When a computer broke, people called a help desk and waited. Support.com built software that let companies find and fix problems automatically or remotely, without a technician on site. It went public in July 2000, as companies spent heavily to support a fast-growing number of PCs.

Tech Support on Autopilot

Support.com bet that much of tech support could be automated. Its software sat on users' machines and connected back to a company's help desk. It could check a computer's settings and repair common faults, which cut the number of calls and visits. The company first sold to large corporations, including big technology companies and internet providers. Later it offered remote help to consumers, directly and through partners.

From Help Desk to Bitcoin

Support.com priced its IPO at $14 a share in July 2000 and listed on Nasdaq. For several years it called itself SupportSoft, then returned to the Support.com name. It moved from enterprise software into consumer tech support and outsourced customer service. In 2021 it merged with Greenidge Generation, a bitcoin mining company, and its long run as a tech support company ended.

Cover: Aeneas Rescuing Anchises from Burning Troy, Hendrick van Steenwijck, the Younger. Art Institute of Chicago, public domain. Chosen for a rescue (carrying someone to safety).