Eric Yuan

Eric Yuan (born in Tai'an, Shandong province, China) is a Chinese-American billionaire businessman and the founder and CEO of Zoom Video Communications.

Yuan founded Zoom in 2011, driven by a desire to create a better video conferencing experience. Prior to Zoom, he was a corporate vice president of engineering at Cisco Systems, where he was one of the founding engineers and vice president of engineering at WebEx. He joined WebEx in 1997 and remained with Cisco after their acquisition of WebEx.

Yuan faced multiple rejections for a U.S. visa before eventually being granted one and immigrating to the United States in 1997.

Under Yuan's leadership, Zoom experienced significant growth, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming a ubiquitous platform for remote work, education, and social interaction. However, the company also faced scrutiny regarding security and privacy issues, which Yuan and his team addressed with subsequent updates and policy changes.

Yuan has received numerous accolades for his leadership and innovation, including being named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in 2020. His story is often cited as an example of entrepreneurial success and the importance of perseverance. He holds a bachelor's degree in applied physics and a master's degree in engineering from China University of Mining and Technology in Beijing.