The interim CEO, Jason Keyes, had this to say:
“I am confident that Jamie’s passion for leading mission-driven technology companies, his operational expertise and track record of creating industry-dominant products will be invaluable as Latch moves into the next phase. I am excited about the opportunity to further enhance our customer experience by integrating HDW services into LatchOS.”
Latch promotes this as a way for hosts to avoid keys for phone or watch-only access, leaving physical keys aside altogether. In fact, one of its products, the Interlock C2, does not have a physical key option. However, as we noted when the company announced its funding in 2016, this also creates more privacy issues, such as data on when a resident left their apartment and when they returned.
Of the transition, Siminoff said:
“I am excited to join the Latch team, who have built an incredible offering that users across the country enjoy and benefit from every day. Smart, secure access control is fundamental not only for real estate operators like myself, but also for residents and service providers. I look forward to combining Honest Day’s Work with Latch to build a residential ecosystem that empowers building owners, operators, service providers and occupants.”
HDW appears to be about four months old, with a website that has just gone live and offers no clues as to its purpose. According to Latch’s press release, HDW’s mission is “to empower residential service providers, such as housekeepers, dog walkers, electricians, and drivers…to take greater control of their businesses and enable them to deliver quality service to their customers.” How HDW accomplishes the mission isn’t stated, but it probably seems similar to Amazon Key or Walmart Plus deliveries, where staff can enter your home and place orders, such as groceries, inside your door, garage, or even your refrigerator.
Perhaps HDW providers, such as those mentioned in the release, will allow you to temporarily access your home or garage. It makes sense that Latch would be interested in incorporating such a feature into its platform, making it easier for building owners to manage and scale controls.
Whether HDW’s brand will remain or if the company will simply gobble up its assets and reuse them under the Latch brand is unclear, but it sounds like perhaps the latter, as the release says 30 of the company’s employees HDW after the transition in his ranks will be shaken. . I asked in an email exchange if the HDW brand would continue, and Meredith Chiricosta, a PR representative for Latch, said only, “The primary focus was on refining the concept for Honest Day’s Work and building out the technology. ”
I also asked if any layoffs were expected, and Chiricosta replied, “Right now the teams are focused on ensuring a smooth transition. The goal is to build a strong foundation for what we expect to be a unique offering that will make life easier for owners, renters and service providers. We are excited about what the future holds.”
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.