Eric Yuan: The Journey Of A Visionary Entrepreneur Behind Zoom

More than three decades ago, Eric Yuan heard Bill Gates give a speech about the internet. At that moment, he decided he wanted to be a part of it, and he aimed to do that in Silicon Valley. However, there was a significant hurdle – the U.S. government denied Yuan's visa application eight times. After enduring two years of rejection, Yuan finally made his way to the U.S. Today, he stands as the major shareholder in Zoom Video Communications, Inc., a company that recently raised $750 million in its IPO.

Born in Shandong Province, Yuan, now 49, is the son of mining engineers. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in applied mathematics and computer science from Shandong University of Science and Technology. Following his graduation, he moved to the U.S. in the mid-1990s, where his career took off. In 1997, he joined WebEx, a company that was later acquired by Cisco for $3.2 billion in 2007, where Yuan became the vice president of engineering. His frustration at Cisco grew over the years, prompting him to seek opportunities to innovate in the video conferencing space.

After a year of trying to implement changes at Cisco, he decided to leave. Yuan was determined to create better technology for video communications and sought financial backing from friends, requesting $250,000 checks to launch his company with a team of 30 engineers. Ultimately, he raised $3 million and named his venture Saasbee. Despite skepticism from investors about the viability of video conferencing, especially with competitors like Microsoft and Google, Yuan's vision was clear – to execute a product that could stand out in a crowded market.

Eric Yuan's journey is a testament to resilience and innovation. His story inspires many who aspire to break barriers and create impactful technology. With Zoom, he revolutionized how people connect, reflecting his lifelong dream to bridge distances through technology.