Spoiler Alert: If you enjoy interacting with automated phone systems do not read this. If however, you have ever resorted to mimicking a robotic voice while attempting to unsuccessfully navigate an automated customer service system, then read on.
GetHuman is a website dedicated to one thing and one thing alone- getting individuals through the endless labyrinth of automated questions and dead ends that usually result when they call a customer service line. The following is the sordid tale surrounding its birth, near death, and ultimate triumph. Get Human is the brainchild of Paul English, CTO of Kayak.com, who began it a a pet project in 2005 out of a sense of altruism for seekers of living, breathing customer service representatives. What started as a pet project soon fell by the wayside, though, as Mr. English focused his time and attention toward his CTO responsibilities at the expense of GetHuman. Seeking someone to bring this dream of his to fruition, Mr. English brought aboard Mr. Walt Tetschner to continue the work he had started and bring easy CS access to the masses. However, this was not to be the case. You see, Mr. Tetschner did not share Mr. English's design aesthetic, nor was he completely devoid of self interest in volunteering for this undertaking. Mr. Tetschner saw the chance to monetize a great idea and enrich himself financially - going against the spirit of the once simple website whose only motivation was to illuminate the masses. The bloated, busy, self important website (get2human.com) that grew out of Mr. Tetschner's greed caused a profound sense of regret and sorrow in Mr. English. He knew the only way to set things right would be for he himself to resurrect his simple, unassuming, non-monetized site and stage a rebellion of sorts against his once close friend and partner. After months of working evenings and weekends, what emerged was a simple, easily navigable website for all the world to use. Our congratulations to you, Mr. English, on seeing your dream become a reality.
GetHuman is a website dedicated to one thing and one thing alone- getting individuals through the endless labyrinth of automated questions and dead ends that usually result when they call a customer service line. The following is the sordid tale surrounding its birth, near death, and ultimate triumph. Get Human is the brainchild of Paul English, CTO of Kayak.com, who began it a a pet project in 2005 out of a sense of altruism for seekers of living, breathing customer service representatives. What started as a pet project soon fell by the wayside, though, as Mr. English focused his time and attention toward his CTO responsibilities at the expense of GetHuman. Seeking someone to bring this dream of his to fruition, Mr. English brought aboard Mr. Walt Tetschner to continue the work he had started and bring easy CS access to the masses. However, this was not to be the case. You see, Mr. Tetschner did not share Mr. English's design aesthetic, nor was he completely devoid of self interest in volunteering for this undertaking. Mr. Tetschner saw the chance to monetize a great idea and enrich himself financially - going against the spirit of the once simple website whose only motivation was to illuminate the masses. The bloated, busy, self important website (get2human.com) that grew out of Mr. Tetschner's greed caused a profound sense of regret and sorrow in Mr. English. He knew the only way to set things right would be for he himself to resurrect his simple, unassuming, non-monetized site and stage a rebellion of sorts against his once close friend and partner. After months of working evenings and weekends, what emerged was a simple, easily navigable website for all the world to use. Our congratulations to you, Mr. English, on seeing your dream become a reality.
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