It was a Monday morning in mid-March. Schools in California had just gone remote, and Eric Yuan’s daughter was settling in for the first day of her new routine. Then she turned to him and, like kids were doing with their parents everywhere, asked him for help using Zoom.
“She’d never asked me a question about Zoom!” says Yuan. Nor had he ever expected her to, even though he is the company’s founder and CEO. “When we created Zoom, the goal was to serve enterprise and business customers. I never thought about my kid having to use Zoom.”
That’s when Yuan knew his world was about to change. This tool he built, which was once reserved for corporate communications, was becoming a defining part of everyday life. His task was no longer to just build a great company; it was now to make sure his company rose to this unusual but defining moment. And it wouldn’t be easy.
Few could have predicted Zoom’s star turn—because for much of his career, Yuan was the underdog. He immigrated from China to Silicon Valley in 1997, after being denied a visa eight times. He got a job at Webex, taught himself English, and eventually developed an idea for a simpler, more user-friendly videoconference system. Nobody seemed excited; investors told him the market was full. So he created a screensaver on his computer that said you are wrong, to inspire himself to keep going. “It’s very small, but it gives you a strong reason,” he says now of that message. “You have to do all you can, and work as hard as you can, to prove other people wrong.”
Esta historia es de la edición January 2021 de Entrepreneur magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición January 2021 de Entrepreneur magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Looming Crisis: What Indian Aviation Industry Needs To Do Differently
Currently, Canceled Flights, Dissatisfied Frequent Flyers And Reprimands From The Regulators Have Become The Norm For Indian Airlines Such As Vistara, Air India, Indigo. To Navigate These Challenges, What Does The Sector Need To Do Better?
Why Small Businesses Can't Afford To Grow
Big companies take a long time to pay their suppliers. Sometimes, so long that the supplier goes out of business. Two entrepreneurs wanted to find out why this system is so broken-and wound up creating a solution.
Will India achieve 40GW Rooftop Solar Capacity by 2026?
ACCELERATING THE ADOPTION OF ROOFTOP SOLAR INSTALLATIONS IS CRUCIAL FOR ACHIEVING INDIA’S RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGETS BUT DESPITE VARIOUS SUBSIDIES AND MEASURES BY GOVERNMENT, THE COUNTRY MISSED ITS 2022 TARGET.
FUELLING INDIA'S SILICON VALLEY ASPIRATIONS
It took 40-plus years for the US and over 25 years for Taiwan to establish their Silicon Valley.
'UP' FOR A DRINK THIS SUMMER?
LAST YEAR THE DEMAND WAS DISRUPTED DUE TO PREPONED MONSOONS. THIS YEAR'S FORECAST IS FOR A BLAZING SUMMER. FMCG COMPANIES SUCH AS DABUR, PARLE AGRO, CAVIN KARE, GODREJ JERSEY & HAMDARD LABORATORIES GEAR UP TO MEET DEMANDS AND HOPE TO MAINTAIN THEIR PRICING AMIDST A WAITAND WATCH APPROACH
THIRSTY CITIES | HOW COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS CONTRIBUTE TO WATER CONSERVATION
WATER STORAGE IN THE MAJOR RESERVOIRS AND RIVER BASINS IN THE COUNTRY HAS DROPPED LESS THAN THE AVERAGE STORAGE RECORDED IN A DECADE FOR THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD.
ACHARYA PRASHANT THE PRACTICAL TEACHER
Prashant Tripathi, now known as Acharya Prashant, has shot up as a unique wisdom teacher.
SYNTHETIC SPARKLES
How startups are banking on the customer base shifting to more affordable and sustainable diamond options
Corporate Journeys Reimagined 2024 and Beyond
A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF EUROPEAN AND US COMPANIES PLAN TO DECREASE TRAVEL PER EMPLOYEE BY OVER 20% TO ACHIEVE THEIR 2030 SUSTAINABILITY GOALS.
India Inc. Charges Towards Sustainable Change With EV Push
INDIA'S EV SECTOR IS POISED TO SKYROCKET TO AN ESTIMATE OF $113.99 BILLION BY 2029.