Google will shut down Google Hire in 2020

Add another one to the Google Cemetery.

Google has disclosed that it will shut down Google Hire, the job application tracking system it launched just two years ago.

Google built Hire in an effort to simplify the hiring process, with a workflow that integrated things like searching for applicants, scheduling interviews, and providing feedback about potential hires into Google’s G Suite (Search/Gmail/Calendar/Docs etc.)

It was built mostly for small to medium sized businesses, with a price that ranged from $200 to $400 a month depending on how many G Suite licenses you needed.

Hire came into existence after Google acquired Bebop — a company started by VMWare founder Diane Greene — for a reported $380 million in 2015. Greene went on to act as the CEO of Google’s Cloud division, but left the role in early 2019.

In an email to customers, Google says:

While Hire has been successful, we’re focusing our resources on other products in the Google Cloud portfolio. We are deeply grateful to our customers, as well as the champions and advocates who have joined and supported us along the way.

On the upside: it’s not getting the axe immediately. In fact, you can keep using it for over a full year; Google says it won’t actually be shutdown until September 1st of 2020. Just don’t expect any new features to be added.

Google also notes that it intends to stop taking payment for the product in the meantime, saying in a support FAQ that customers will see no additional charges for Google Hire after their next billing cycle.