Once a Bluetooth earpiece and speaker juggernaut, Jawbone appears to be no more

Known for its Bluetooth speakers, earpieces, and fitness trackers, Jawbone appears to be on the way out as the company is reported to have begun liquidation proceedings and its CEO to have already moved on.

The report comes to us courtesy of The Information, with The Verge also independently confirming Jawbone’s demise. According to both outlets, Jawbone co-founder and CEO Hosain Rahman founded Jawbone Health Hub, a new company that will focus on health-related hardware and software services.

Many Jawbone employees have reportedly moved to the new company, a move that prevents Rahman from truly starting from square one. Existing Jawbone products will allegedly be serviced by Jawbone Health Hub once the nail is put in Jawbone’s coffin, though we presume that the manufacturing of said products will halt due to the pivot to the health sector.

Alas, these reports seemingly put an end to the sad state of affairs that is Jawbone. Signs of financial trouble were in the air when the company laid off 60 employees, or 15 percent of its workforce, back in November 2015. Jawbone said the layoffs were part of wider “streamlining,” but eyebrows were raised when it was reported that the company halted production of its UP fitness trackers and sold remaining inventory to a third party.

Jawbone refuted the report and said it was committed to the wearable market. That commitment was questioned yet again in February 2017, when it was reported that Jawbone would leave the wearable market and enter the world of medical services, moves that line up with the news of Jawbone’s liquidation and eventual demise.

It is a shame, really, since Jawbone’s products would not be classified as bad – one of Jawbone’s Bluetooth speakers was even called “America’s Favorite Wireless Speaker.” Unfortunately for the company, its 18 years of existence have also been highlighted by product failures, unpaid contractors, layoffs, lawsuits, and (now) a lack of relevancy in a market now dominated by the likes of Fitbit, Xiaomi, and Apple.