The Expert Podcast

• Telemedicine and virtual health services saw explosive growth during the 2019–2020 pandemic lockdowns.
• Companies like Cerebral reached billion-dollar valuations, and even Amazon launched its own telemedicine division.
• Recently, some big players are scaling back:
  • Amazon has shut down its telehealth service and is cutting jobs.
  • Cerebral is laying off 20% of its staff citing operational efficiencies, though there may be other factors like FDA compliance issues.
• The surge in virtual services extended beyond healthcare to other sectors like online vehicle sales (e.g., Carvana, Vroom) boosted by the pandemic’s stay-at-home orders.
• Now that the pandemic lockdowns are mostly over, many virtual service companies are shrinking their footprint.
• The key question: Are virtual services like telemedicine here to stay, or were they just a temporary fad?
• It’s likely that while virtual services will remain popular long-term due to convenience, many people will prefer or need in-person interactions for certain situations—especially when it comes to personal health and diagnoses.
• Humans are social beings, and in-person contact fulfills needs that virtual interactions can’t fully replace.
• Services like grocery delivery may stay virtual because they don’t require personal interaction, but healthcare conversations often do.
• We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts on the future of virtual services and telemedicine in the comments.