What if I say the founder of Zoom used to collect construction scraps to recycle copper for cash? Let us dig deeper into the life of Eric Yuan.
Eric Yuan, son of geological engineers, was born and raised in Tai’an, Shandong Province, China. During his first year in university, he was inspired to develop video telephony software while he took 10-hour train rides to visit his girlfriend and was searching for a simple way to visit.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics with a minor in computer application from Shandong University of Science and Technology, a master’s degree in geology engineering from China University of Mining and Technology in Beijing.
Yuan also completed a Stanford University executive program in 2006.
At the age of 27, inspired by Bill Gates, he left China holding a dream to make it big in Silicon Valley.
Setting his foot for the first time in San Francisco he felt a dream come true. He started the journey of his hard work and dedication by working in a startup that was later acquired.
At the time, he spoke very little English and had to apply nine times before he was granted a visa to the United States.
Yuan presented a new smartphone-friendly video conferencing system to WebEx management. But the idea was rejected. After leaving WebEx, he embarked on a journey to create Zoom.
So why did he want to create Zoom? His answer was, ‘My goal was to create a product that is so easy and intuitive that my mother-in-law could use it. The funny part was that he did not have a name until two to three weeks before Zoom launched.
Calling his advisor Jim he sought help. Jim suggested five names and among them, he picked Zoom to be the product name.
In 2019, Zoom officially started as a public company. During the COVID-19 pandemic, due to online shifts of teaching and offices Zoom was benefited.
His net worth was estimated to be US$16.4 billion(On 1 September 2020) which was 360% higher than the net worth he possessed at the beginning of the year.
Zoom grew more rapidly than its much larger competitors due to its easy features. They include easy to set up, to use, and to change one’s background. The goal was maximum simplicity and minimum effort.
In 2020 he was awarded with the Time Businessperson of the Year .. How did he really become successful?
Every success story has some driving factors. This story has its own. According to Eric, it was to be very hands-on and to be very compassionate, looking from others’ perspectives.
He prioritizes customers’ views, which led him to be the man he is today. He was also named as the Time 100 Most Influential People of 2020.
Behind every success, there are some struggles and challenges. The biggest challenge was to evolve and maintain the company culture.
The stirring fact is that the company culture was not about profit but about the happiness of employees and customers. During Covid-19 they had to hire more than 6000 people and it was hard to maintain the motto of the company.
People all over the world thank him for this innovation. He embraces the love he gets from the letters sent to him thanking him saying, “We are very grateful. Without Zoom, I could not say goodbye to my parents and my grandparents.”
His full name is Eric S. Yuan. Yuan chose the middle name “S” after Subrah Iyar, cofounder of WebEx.
Hilarious thing, the founder once hated Zoom after having 19 meetings in a day, which was exhausting.
His words to the young people -‘Be yourself, no need to be Eric, and also have a dream. The earlier you have a dream, the better for you. Keep working as hard as you can, stay humble, you will be very successful in the future.’
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Writer,
Afsana Khanom Monika
Content Writing Intern
YSSE