Eric Yuan might not be a household name like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, but chances are, you’ve used the product he created: Zoom. Yep, the guy who built the tool that kept the world connected during the pandemic wasn’t some Silicon Valley golden child. His journey was full of rejection, risks, and a relentless belief in making virtual meetings suck less.
A Rocky Start in Silicon Valley
Born in China in 1970, Eric Yuan grew up in a world that revolved around science and engineering. Inspired by Bill Gates’ rise in the tech industry, he set his sights on Silicon Valley in the ’90s. But getting there? Not so easy. His U.S. visa was rejected—eight times. That’s right, eight. Most people would have taken that as a sign to quit, but Yuan kept pushing. On his ninth attempt, he finally got in and moved to California to chase his dream.
The WebEx Days
Once in the U.S., he landed a job at WebEx, a video conferencing company that was kind of a big deal at the time. He started as an engineer and worked his way up to VP. WebEx was eventually acquired by Cisco in 2007 for nearly $3 billion, and Yuan stuck around to help lead its engineering division.
But here’s the thing—he wasn’t happy. WebEx was clunky, outdated, and nowhere near as user-friendly as he thought it should be. He pitched ideas to improve it, but his bosses at Cisco weren’t interested in making big changes. They figured WebEx was good enough. Yuan? He wasn’t about that “good enough” life.
Taking the Leap with Zoom
After years of frustration, Yuan made a bold move in 2011: he quit. He believed he could build a better video conferencing tool from scratch, even if it meant starting from zero. But convincing investors wasn’t easy. Most people thought the market was already too crowded. Why fund another video call service when Skype and WebEx were already out there?
Still, Yuan believed there was a demand for a smoother, simpler experience. He assembled a team, started coding, and in 2013, Zoom was born. His early customers? Happy WebEx users who wanted something better.
The Secret Sauce
What made Zoom different? It wasn’t just the technology (though that was a big part of it). Yuan’s approach to customer service was what really set Zoom apart. He made sure his team personally responded to users’ complaints, requests, and suggestions. He listened, adapted, and kept improving the product based on real feedback.
Another big factor? Yuan focused on making Zoom reliable and easy to use. No complicated downloads, no random crashes, and no buffering nightmares. It just worked.
The Pandemic Boom
Zoom was already gaining traction before 2020, but when the pandemic hit, it exploded. Suddenly, everyone—from CEOs to kindergarten teachers—was relying on Zoom to stay connected. Daily meeting participants jumped from 10 million to 300 million in just a few months. The stock price soared, Yuan became a billionaire, and Zoom became a verb.
But success came with challenges. Security issues (like “Zoom-bombing”) made headlines, and competitors rushed to improve their own platforms. Yuan took the criticism seriously, rolling out security updates and new features to keep up with the demand.
Staying Humble
Despite his massive success, Yuan is still the same guy who once got rejected eight times for a visa. He keeps a low profile, stays focused on improving Zoom, and believes that the best way to grow a business is by making customers happy. He’s not flashy, not loud, and definitely not chasing the spotlight.
His story isn’t about overnight success or some wild stroke of luck. It’s about perseverance, believing in a vision, and proving that even in a saturated market, there’s always room for something better.
So next time you hop on a Zoom call, just remember: it all started with a guy who refused to take no for an answer.
