Randstad NV

History

The company was founded as Uitzendbureau Amstelveen in the Netherlands in 1960 by Gerrit Daleboudt and Frits Goldschmeding (1933-2024) based on an idea for a college thesis. The name was changed to Randstad four years later. Goldschmeding eventually became the richest person in the Netherlands.

Randstad Holding NV is created in 1978 — all divisions are then assembled under that umbrella. (Free translation, unsourced in the FR Wiki page.)

In 2008, the company acquired Vedior for €3.3 billion. That year, the company sold its unit in Portugal to Kelly Services.

In March 2011, Frits Goldschmeding resigned as vice chairman of the Supervisory Board. His last term ran from 2007 to 2011.

In September 2011, Randstad acquired Spherion for $770 million.

In August 2016, Randstad acquired Monster.com for $429 million in cash. In September 2024, Monster merged with CareerBuilder, and funds managed by Apollo Global Management became the majority owner of the websites, with Randstad retaining a minority investment.

Sponsorships

Randstad was a sponsor of Formula One team Williams F1 from 2006 until 2017.

In 2019, Randstad became the sponsor of Italian Formula 1 team Scuderia Toro Rosso, since 2020 called Scuderia AlphaTauri. From 2024 Racing Bulls.

Controversies

Data collection for Google

In 2019, Google contracted with Randstad to collect data for its Pixel 4 facial recognition authentication feature. Google's stated goal with the project was to make the feature more inclusive by collecting facial data from people with dark skin, and those participating in the research were given a $5 gift certificate. However, the New York Daily News reported that Randstad project leaders allegedly directed its workers to maximize data collection by deceiving participants and targeting homeless people in Atlanta, Georgia. Randstad stated that, after hearing concerns about how information was presented to participants and obtaining consent, the project was temporarily suspended and project leaders were retrained. After the report was published, Google shut down its field research and was investigating the allegations.

References

References

1. "Randstad Annual Reports". Randstad.
2. "Frits Goldschmeding". [[Forbes]].
3. Jacob, Sarah. (29 July 2024). "Frits Goldschmeding, Dutch Temp Job Billionaire, Dies at 90". [[Bloomberg News]].
4. (2 April 2008). "Randstad launches bid for Vedior". [[Reuters]].
5. Mika, Niclas. (11 July 2008). "Randstad sells Portugal unit to Kelly Services". [[Reuters]].
6. (20 July 2011). "Former Spherion to be acquired by Randstad". [[Sun Sentinel]].
7. Lunden, Ingrid. (9 August 2016). "Randstad buys Monster for $429M as recruitment consolidation continues". [[TechCrunch]].
8. Moody, Kathryn. (17 September 2024). "Monster and CareerBuilder complete merger". [[Industry Dive]].
9. Williams, Matthew. (February 28, 2022). "AlphaTauri adds three more years to Randstad Group deal".
10. (2 October 2019). "Google using dubious tactics to target people with 'darker skin' in facial recognition project: sources". [[New York Daily News]].
11. Song, Victoria. (7 October 2019). "Report: Google Contractors Used Shady Methods To Scan Dark-Skinned People's Faces For New Pixel 4 Feature". [[Gizmodo]].
12. (3 October 2019). "City worker saw homeless people lined up to get $5 gift card for face scan uploaded to Google". [[New York Daily News]].
13. Hollister, Sean. (4 October 2019). "Google has suspended its controversial 'field research' that allegedly scanned homeless people". [[The Verge]].