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Eric Yuan: The Man Who Put the World on Zoom
Imagine a young boy in a small village in China, dreaming of coming to America and building something that would change the world. Now, picture that same boy, grown up, creating a tool that billions of people would use to stay connected during one of the most challenging times in recent history. This is the story of Eric Yuan, the founder of Zoom.
The story begins in 1970 in a place called Tai'an, in China's Shandong province. Eric Yuan was born into a family of mining engineers. Growing up, Eric was a curious and hardworking child. He loved math and science, and he dreamed of exploring the world beyond his small village. As a teenager, he became fascinated with technology. He was inspired by Bill Gates and the tech boom happening in America. Eric decided that one day, he too would go to Silicon Valley and start his own tech company.
After finishing high school, Eric went to Shandong University of Science and Technology. He studied applied mathematics and got his bachelor's degree. Then, he went on to China University of Mining and Technology for his master's degree in geology engineering. But Eric's dream of going to America was always on his mind. In 1997, at the age of 27, Eric decided it was time to chase that dream. He applied for a visa to enter the United States. But here's where our hero faced his first big challenge: his visa application was rejected.
Now, many people might have given up after one rejection. But not Eric. He applied again. And again. And again. In fact, Eric applied for his visa eight times over two years before it was finally approved. This persistence would become a defining trait in Eric's journey to success. Finally, in 1997, Eric arrived in the United States. He had $900 in his pocket, limited English skills, and a whole lot of determination.
Eric's first job in America was at a videoconferencing company called WebEx. He started as one of the first 20 employees and worked as a software engineer. Eric threw himself into his work, often coding for 18 hours a day. Eric quickly became a valuable team member at WebEx. He worked hard and learned everything he could about video communications. In 2007, Cisco Systems bought WebEx for $3.2 billion. Eric became Cisco's Corporate Vice President of Engineering, in charge of collaboration software. However, Eric started to feel frustrated. He saw that customers weren't happy with the existing video conferencing solutions. They were often complicated to use and didn't work well on mobile devices. Eric had ideas on how to make things better, but his suggestions weren't being implemented at Cisco.
In 2011, Eric decided it was time to take a big risk. He would leave his stable, well-paying job at Cisco to start his own company. His goal was to create a video conferencing system that was easy to use and worked well on smartphones. Eric's wife was pregnant with their third child when he told her about his plan to start a new company. It was a scary decision, but she supported him. Later, Eric would say, "I told her, 'I know it's a long journey and very hard, but if I don't try it, I'll regret it.'"
In 2011, at the age of 41, Eric founded a company called Saasbee, which would later become Zoom. He started with a team of 40 engineers, many of whom followed him from Cisco because they believed in his vision. Eric and his team worked tirelessly to create a video conferencing system that was different from anything else on the market. They focused on making it easy to use, reliable, and high-quality. Eric's goal was to create a product that would make customers happy.
The early days weren't easy. Many investors turned Eric down, saying the market was already crowded with big players like Skype and Google. But Eric didn't give up. He kept improving the product and looking for people who believed in his vision. In 2012, Eric changed the company's name to Zoom. He chose this name because it sounded dynamic and suggested speed. The company's official launch came in 2013 when Zoom 1.0 was released.
Zoom started to gain users quickly. People loved how easy it was to use and how well it worked. By the end of its first month, Zoom had 400,000 users. Within a year, it had 1 million users. Eric's approach to business was different from many Silicon Valley startups. Instead of focusing on fast growth at any cost, he emphasized making a product that people truly loved. He believed that if customers were happy, the business would grow naturally. This approach paid off. By 2015, Zoom had 40 million users and was used by 65,000 organizations. The company became profitable in 2016, and by 2017, it was valued at $1 billion, making it a "unicorn" in startup terms.
In 2019, Zoom went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange. On its first day of trading, Zoom's stock price rose 72%, valuing the company at $16 billion. This made Eric Yuan a billionaire on paper. But for Eric, the money wasn't the most important thing. He was proud that he had created a company with a strong culture and a product that customers loved. He often said that "delivering happiness" to customers was Zoom's most important goal.
In early 2020, something happened that no one could have predicted: the COVID-19 pandemic. Suddenly, people all over the world needed to work, study, and socialize from home. Zoom became an essential tool almost overnight. In just a few months, Zoom went from 10 million daily meeting participants to over 300 million. Schools used it for online classes. Businesses used it for remote work. Friends and families used it to stay connected during lockdowns.
This sudden growth brought challenges. Zoom had to quickly scale up its infrastructure to handle the increased traffic. There were also concerns about security and privacy that the company had to address. Eric and his team worked around the clock to improve the product and address these issues. They added new security features and increased the platform's capacity. Eric personally took charge of the efforts to make Zoom more secure.
Throughout Zoom's journey, Eric Yuan has remained known for his humility and customer-focused approach. He still personally emails users who cancel their Zoom accounts to find out how the product could be better. Eric's leadership style is based on transparency and empathy. He holds all-hands meetings every two weeks where any employee can ask him questions directly. He believes in creating a positive work culture where employees are happy and motivated. Even after becoming a billionaire, Eric has remained humble. He still drives an ordinary car and lives in the same house he's had for years. He often says that making customers happy is more important to him than making money.
Eric Yuan's journey teaches us many valuable lessons. His story shows the power of persistence; despite facing multiple visa rejections, Eric never gave up on his dream of coming to America. His success with Zoom demonstrates the importance of truly listening to customers and building products based on their actual needs, rather than assumptions. Eric's approach also highlights the value of prioritizing quality over rapid growth, focusing on creating a product that users would genuinely love.
Throughout his rise to success, Eric has maintained his humility, staying grounded and committed to his mission. Finally, his leadership during the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic showcases the importance of embracing and adapting to unexpected obstacles. These lessons from Eric's journey serve as inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs and remind us all of the keys to success in both business and life.
Eric Yuan's journey from a small village in China to the founder of a company that connects millions of people around the world is truly inspiring. It shows us that with hard work, persistence, and a focus on solving real problems, incredible things are possible. As we look to the future, it's clear that Eric Yuan and Zoom will continue to play a big role in shaping how we communicate and work. And who knows? The next world-changing idea might come from someone inspired by Eric's story, proving once again that dreams really can come true.
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