About PeoplePC
People PC was founded by Nick Grouf, Max Metral and David Waxman, and launched in the USA in October 1999. The PeoplePC plan offered a new, brand name computer replaced every 3 years, dial-up Internet access, and in-home warranty service for a $24.95 monthly payment (“about the cost of internet access alone” according to their advertising). While the marketing made it seem like a monthly service, it was actually more of a financing plan which required credit and involved paying off the computer over 3 years. The company landed contracts to equip over 300,000 Ford employees, 100,000 Delta Air Lines employees, 250,000 Vivendi employees, and 10,000 New York Times employees with PeoplePC memberships almost fully subsidized by the parent companies. The business model called for “collective buying” to allow PeoplePC to generate additional revenue from advertising, partnerships, and premium products. As this revenue was not high enough, PeoplePC began to focus on running a very lean and low cost ISP and support business.
