- Zoom CEO Eric Yuan says work-life stability doesn’t exist for leaders; in actual fact, he’s given up hobbies solely to dedicate himself to his $20 billion firm. However on the identical time, as the daddy of three Gen Z kids, he acknowledges the significance of household: “Whenever there’s a conflict, guess what? Family first.”
Within the final decade, arguably no firm has turned the office extra on its head than Zoom. The video convention software program redefined the trendy office, making it potential to log in from the seaside, the sofa, or anyplace in between.
However now, its founder and CEO is grappling with the unintended consequence of his personal creation. Eric Yuan admits that Zoom’s rise—and the power to work from actually anyplace—has all however erased the boundaries between work and life.
“I inform our workforce, ‘Guys, you realize, there’s no strategy to stability. Work is life, life is figure,’” Yuan mentioned in a latest interview with the Grit podcast.
Yuan even admitted that he doesn’t have hobbies, together with his whole life devoted to “family and Zoom.” Nonetheless, when there’s a conflict and he has to decide on between the 2, the 55-year-old takes the extra smart strategy: “Whenever there’s a conflict, guess what? Family first. That’s it.”
Yuan is simply the most recent chief to acknowledge that true work-life stability could also be unattainable when striving for achievement, echoing the likes of former President Barack Obama, TIAA CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett, and LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, to call a couple of.
Fortune reached out to Yuan for remark.
Gen Z: Prepare for the AI revolution, step by step
Regardless of feeling enthusiastic about how AI will reshape the world for good, as a father of three Gen Z youngsters, Yuan mentioned he additionally acknowledges the challenges younger individuals face making an attempt to interrupt into at present’s job market.
“Sometimes I’m extremely concerned,” he mentioned, whereas pointing to laptop science graduates for example. “It’s not that easy to find a job anymore. That’s crazy.”
Including to Gen Z’s fears, he admitted that in 10 to twenty years, there’s certainly a risk that almost all of at present’s jobs can be changed or augmented. However quite than panic, Yuan harassed that it’s vital to deal with making ready oneself for an AI-dominant office.
“Laser focus on what you are doing every day,” he said. “Try to get a good grade and enjoy campus life. At the same time, learn a little bit of AI. Mentally, get yourself ready, gradually.”
Zoom itself is an instance of the rollercoaster that comes with navigating the tech trade. When Zoom first grew to become a public firm in April 2019, it was valued at simply $9.2 billion. However lower than a 12 months later, the pandemic hit and your entire world leaned on Zoom to maintain companies and faculties working. In response to Yuan, its person base jumped from 10 million to 350 million, and by the autumn of 2020, its market cap skyrocketed to $160 billion.
Nonetheless, a brand new resurgence of return-to-office insurance policies has pushed Zoom’s market cap again all the way down to round $20 billion.
A two-day work week could possibly be in our future
Whereas sacrificing free time for the work grind could be the actuality of at present, the Zoom CEO suggests there could also be some reduction in sight. Within the coming years, Yuan mentioned that extra individuals may have a digital agent or “twin,” and the standard workweek could also be utterly revolutionized.
“Imagine down the road, let’s say we have very mature AI technology. Do we really need to work for five days a week? Maybe three days, maybe two days,” he mentioned.
This shortened workweek is a future additionally envisioned by different distinguished tech leaders, together with billionaire Invoice Gates. The Microsoft cofounder predicted earlier this 12 months that people will now not be wanted for “most things,” probably chopping down the quantity of hours individuals must be on the workplace.
Gates informed Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Present earlier this 12 months: “What will jobs be like? Should we just work like two or three days a week?”
This story was initially featured on Fortune.com
