"I've always treated investments as a long-term friendship," — CEO of Zoom on the main lessons of business

The Process Is More Important Than the Result

When building a company, you dream of many things. Sometimes — about the day it goes public, when you’ll see your stock on the exchange screen. But the truth is, that moment is just one day. The journey, the process — that’s what truly matters.

I’ve always told my team: enjoy the process of becoming a public company. Because if you actually become public — so what? The work continues.

Investors and Trust

Reflecting on the people who walked this path with us, especially Santi Subotovsky from Emergence Capital, I realize how important it is to have partners you fully trust. We talk to him every day. Not just about work — we’ve become friends. This is one of my greatest achievements over the past 10 years.

I’ve always viewed investments as long-term friendships. If I don’t feel that connection, I don’t take the money. That’s my principle.

The Pandemic and Company Culture

COVID-19 changed everything. The world seemed to stop, and Zoom became the service that helped people stay connected.

At that moment, our goal was simple: ensure people could work, learn, and stay connected. We offered free access to schools where children couldn’t attend classes in person. I’ve never worked harder in my life.

We weren’t thinking about mergers or new products — the main thing was keeping the service running reliably. Millions of users, governments, companies, and schools depended on us.

Looking back, there are things I would have done differently. We focused too much on operational work and didn’t always keep the board of directors informed. We didn’t use the market growth moment to diversify the business.

And another thing — we grew too fast. In 18 months, we hired over 6,000 people. Previously, we hired slowly, carefully, with a focus on culture. Then — we just had to keep up. And honestly, the company culture began to blur.

Restoring it proved difficult. It doesn’t happen in a week. To rebuild culture — it takes time, years, not days.

About the Future

Today, our focus is artificial intelligence. We’re integrating it into all Zoom products: creating AI assistants, digital twins, and automatic meeting reports. I already use my own AI double — it represents me at webinars and conferences. It’s amazing: you can be on stage without even being there.

But it’s important to remember — Zoom has always been, and remains, about people. AI is not a replacement for human communication, but a tool that makes it better.

When asked how we prioritize, I answer simply: it all starts with the customer.

We listen to their pain, analyze the root of the problem, and seek solutions. If you don’t start from the customer, it’s easy to get lost among opportunities.

Zoom is not just a platform. It’s a way to connect people. And while we create the technologies of the future, I remember every day: the main value is care.

Care for customers. For the team. For the community. For ourselves. And if we bring that care into every product, then technology truly makes the world better.