THE company behind the Zoom video conferencing platform — which became a household name during the pandemic — announced Tuesday it is laying off about 15 percent of its staff.
Zoom Video Communications chief executive Eric Yuan is also taking a 98 percent cut in salary this year and forgoing his executive bonus, he said in a blog post about the job cuts.
He added that members of his executive leadership team are taking a 20 percent salary reduction and also forfeiting bonuses this year.
While people and businesses continue to rely on Zoom “as the world transitions to life post-pandemic,” the Silicon Valley-based firm is seeing customers cut back on spending, Yuan said in the post.
Zoom has made the “tough but necessary” decision to lay off about 1,300 people, or roughly 15 percent of its staff, according to Yuan.
“Our trajectory was forever changed during the pandemic when the world faced one of its toughest challenges, and I am proud of the way we mobilized as a company to keep people connected,” Yuan said.
Zoom tripled its ranks of employees during the pandemic, as people used the platform for remote work, court hearings, social events and more while Covid-19 risks barred them from getting together in person, according to Yuan.
“We are seeing that people and businesses continue to rely on Zoom,” Yuan said.
“But the uncertainty of the global economy, and its effect on our customers, means we need to take a hard look inward to reset ourselves so we can weather the economic environment, deliver for our customers and achieve Zoom’s long-term vision.”
Zoom will continue to invest in strategic areas, the chief executive noted.
