15/05/2026
Where Google Health and Microsoft HealthVault went wrong and the key lessons for health innovators.
✅ Google Health was launched in 2008, shut down in 2011, revived in 2018, and discontinued again in 2021.
✅ Microsoft's HealthVault ran for 12 years before being retired in 2019.
These failures weren't about a lack of resources or talent; they reveal fundamental challenges that any healthcare innovator must understand:
✅ They Misunderstood the Healthcare Ecosystem : Both companies approached healthcare through a technology lens, focusing primarily on data aggregation and storage. But healthcare is fundamentally different from other industries. It's built on trust, governed by strict regulations, and involves deeply personal information.
✅They Built Solutions Without Understanding Users : Both platforms assumed patients would eagerly manage their health records if given digital tools. In reality, most people lack the motivation or health literacy to actively maintain comprehensive medical records.
✅ They Couldn't Solve Interoperability Challenges
A major barrier for both platforms was the fragmented nature of health data.
Read more :
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-big-tech-failed-healthcare-mike-adeyemi-lawal-cj95e?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&utm_campaign=share_via
