How Zoom technology became the defining app of the COVID-19 era
source: NewStatesman
published: 29 March 2020
Scroll through any of the 1,970
Zoom
employee profiles on LinkedIn and you will find a lot of earnest statements. The workers at the California-based tech company are “transforming the way organisations communicate” or “making the world a better place one connection at a time.” But the mission statement used by the greatest number of Zoomers is “delivering happiness to our users!”
In normal times, it’s easy to be cynical about this Silicon Valley-style perkiness. But as lockdowns and social distancing prompt a global retreat into our homes, Zoom usage has surged. The remote video conferencing provided by the company has connected home workers with one another, as well as allowing friends and families to stay in touch. In the era of corona virus, Zoom has perhaps truly become a tool for creating happiness.
The firm was founded nine years ago by Chinese-American businessman Eric Yuan, 50, formerly vice-president of engineering at US technology giant Cisco Systems. By 2015, 40 million people had taken part in a Zoom-hosted meeting. In 2019, the company went public and was valued at $16bn.
But this growth has now been far exceeded: Covid-19 meant Zoom’s daily active user base grew by 67 per cent in the first three months of this year.
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