Thumbtack’s new AI wants to diagnose your leaky ceiling

One of the hardest parts of being a homeowner is knowing whom to call when something goes wrong with your house—a process that starts with figuring out what’s actually wrong in the first place. “What if you wake up, you’ve got a wet spot on the ceiling, and you’re like, Oh crap, I’ve got a problem, but I don’t actually know what it is or who to hire ?” says Marco Zappacosta, cofounder and CEO of the home-services marketplace Thumbtack. The 18-year-old platform has made a robust business of helpi