If you’ve recently tried to check up on Purple Communications and wondered if they’re vanishing into thin air, you’re not alone. A lot of business drama happens quietly behind boardroom doors, so if you blinked, you might have missed it: Purple is no longer the independent disruptor you remember. But does that mean they’re gone for good? Not quite—and the devil, as usual, is in the details.
Let’s untangle the mess, clear up confusion with mattress makers, and get you an honest answer about what’s going on at Purple Communications—or, more accurately, Purple as part of ZP Better Together.
Who Is Purple Communications? (And What Did They Actually Do?)
Before streaming and video chat were ubiquitous, Purple Communications was sprinting ahead for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. The company built its reputation delivering video relay service (VRS), letting Deaf users make phone calls in American Sign Language—live video, real interpreters, and all. By one count, Purple was neck-and-neck with Sorenson and ZVRS for VRS supremacy in the 2010s.
Purple became a household name in the Deaf community and among businesses looking to comply with accessibility laws. They launched their own apps, set up nationwide call centers, and employed thousands. For a while, the “purple” logo on an interpreter’s badge was a reassuring beacon—a sign you could trust the tech to work and the company to have your back.
Corporate Plot Twist: Purple Joins the ZP Better Together Family
For starters, small companies with big ideas frequently get gobbled up by larger players. That’s exactly what happened to Purple in 2017, when ZP Better Together—also known as ZVRS—bought them out.
PitchBook calls this a classic buyout/LBO maneuver: Purple Communications, Inc. “Acquired/Merged,” full stop. The sale closed on February 15, 2017. If you drill down into business filings or check LinkedIn, you’ll see Purple is officially a “division” of ZP Better Together, not a stand-alone company anymore.
The private equity backers, Kinderhook Industries, are the ones calling the shots up top. At large, you could say Purple’s identity shifted from quirky indie to reliable sub-brand—sort of how Instagram operates within Meta, but a few floors down in ambition.
The FCC Certification Move: Losing Some Paperwork, Keeping the Service
Here’s where a lot of internet rumors took flight. By February 2020, the FCC confirmed Purple Communications, Inc. had surrendered its application to be an independent, certified VRS provider. Purple “turned in its conditional certification for cancellation,” per the FCC’s official report. The effect? Purple wouldn’t be providing VRS under its own FCC license anymore.
But there’s a catch: VRS services didn’t disappear—they just shifted to being provided by ZP Better Together. Purple became a “sub-brand,” with actual regulatory certification and responsibility handled by the parent company. If you’re using PurpleVRS or calling through the main app, you’re effectively operating under the ZP banner now. Think of this as trading an old badge for a company lanyard—the uniform changed, but you’re ringing the same front desk.
Is Purple Still Operating? What Do the Data Say?
You might suspect that a surrender of FCC status signals a full business implosion … but that’s far from the truth. Business profiling sites like CB Insights and ZoomInfo still list Purple as “a leading provider of video relay, video remote interpreting, and on-site interpreting,” highlighting ongoing operations in places like Rocklin, California, and Austin, Texas.
PitchBook points to live websites (purplevrs.com) and shows Purple as an “operating subsidiary” within the ZP structure. Even ZP Better Together’s recent partnership press (for example, their collaboration with Meta on accessibility solutions) specifically namechecks both “ZVRS and Purple Communications” as current, co-equal players.
Search social media and you’ll find Purple’s Facebook and Twitter pages alive and well in 2024—posting updates, technical tips, and answers to user questions. In other words: The lights are still on; the same teams are still picking up calls and scheduling interpreters.
This Has Led to…Layoffs, Closures, and a Little Chaos
Local headlines sometimes sound dire: “Purple Shutters Minnesota Office After Union Drive.” True story, and it matters. According to an investigation by In These Times, Purple closed all Minnesota office operations and laid off around 50 interpreters in early 2019—reportedly after workers tried to unionize. Employees called it union-busting; management cited “business necessity.” Either way, real people lost jobs, and a whole state lost in-person Purple offices.
There’s more: In earlier years, the FCC slapped Purple with an $11.9 million fine for improper TRS billing (that’s a chunk of change even by telecom standards). The company’s regulatory headaches—and willingness to close local offices—reflect a harsh truth. The relay service sector is highly regulated, fiercely competitive, and frankly, unforgiving if you slip up.
But let’s keep our eyes on scale. These office closures and layoffs didn’t mean the end of Purple-branded services nationally. Instead, they were signs of downsizing and restructuring, as the focus shifted toward a more centralized, ZP-led operation.
Is Purple the Same as Those Other Purple Companies Going Bust?
There’s a wild bit of confusion out there, thanks to the fact that “Purple” is apparently a favored company name on both sides of the Atlantic—and across wildly different industries.
For starters, Purple Innovation, the mattress maker (traded as PRPL), has been getting headlines for auditor warnings, huge losses, and big debt. If you saw “Purple at risk of bankruptcy,” that probably refers to the mattress folks, not the VRS company.
Meanwhile, Purple Communications UK Limited—which once handled telecom services in England—was dissolved by forced strike-off in 2010. Another, Purple Comms Limited, is in liquidation in Essex. These UK businesses have zero overlap with the Deaf-services provider still running out of Texas and California.
Bottom line: Not all Purples are created equal, and only the Purple that’s part of ZP Better Together is the one providing interpreting or relay services under that trademark.
The Direct Answer: Is Purple Communications “Going Out of Business”?
Let’s assemble the facts, minus industry spin and wishful thinking.
– Corporate entity? Gone. Purple as an independent, stand-alone company is toast—acquired and folded into ZP Better Together back in 2017.
– FCC provider license? Dropped. Purple surrendered its bid and certification as a sole VRS provider in 2020.
– Purple-branded operations and services? Still going. The name, the platforms, the interpreters—these run as a division inside ZP Better Together. If you make a Purple call, it’s a ZP-powered operation.
– Plans for further shutdowns? No verifiable reporting or signals that ZP Better Together is winding down Purple’s branded services nationwide. Instead, official channels and partnership announcements reinforce their status as an active, live offering in the ZP portfolio.
So, is Purple Communications “out of business”? Not in the way people fear. The firm has been structurally absorbed, and its independence is history, but Purple-branded VRS and interpreting are still offered and staffed.
If you’re a Deaf or hard-of-hearing user: your Purple app works, and your account is valid—it’s just running through the ZP network, not a freestanding Purple Communications, Inc.
What Do Service Users Need to Know?
The VRS industry is growing—but it’s also unforgiving, and it takes discipline to win. What does this mean for your average user (or business accessibility officer)?
– If you’re dialing through Purple, you’re getting service managed by ZP Better Together. The interpreters, apps, and platform you trust haven’t evaporated—they simply have a new reporting line on the org chart.
– Some local office closures, like in Minnesota, have led to layoffs and loss of physical presence in certain regions. If you need in-person interpreting, it’s worth checking the latest coverage maps.
– If you’re comparing providers or want to contact support, the best bet is to use the official Purple (or ZP) channels. The main website (purplevrs.com), Facebook page, and customer service phone numbers are current and monitored.
If you’re ever hunting for more telecom business news—about disruptors, closures, and upstart buyouts— visit InBusinessVoice for more stories that cut through the noise.
Bottom line: Don’t panic about missing your favorite interpreter or losing access to relay calls overnight. The VRS sector is consolidating, yes, but Purple-powered services are still active, still serving the Deaf community, and still backed by a company that’s very much in business—just not under the original Purple masthead.
Final Take: Corporate Shell Games, Real Services
Business is rarely static. Sometimes your favorite brands disappear, only to reappear as someone else’s division. Purple Communications, as an independent corporation, has passed into history. But as a brand and service, it continues to interpret, connect, and bridge worlds—albeit as part of a bigger, more buttoned-up family.
If you’re choosing your VRS provider, don’t just look at headlines about who’s acquired or who’s “out of business.” Check the live service status, user reviews, and (when in doubt) pick up the phone and ask. Purple has changed uniforms, but it hasn’t clocked out.
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