Eric Yuan

In June 2025, Yuan stated "work-life balance doesn't exist" and that "work is life, life is work." Despite Zoom enabling the remote work revolution, Yuan mandated employees within 50 miles of an office return two days per week starting August 2023, saying remote work prevented "trust-building." In July 2025, some remote workers reported being laid off so their headcount could be used for in-office hires. Yuan told dissenting employees to "leave the company" if they disagreed with RTO.

Zoom hired its first Chief Diversity Officer in 2020 who later departed without replacement. The company then "disbanded its internal DEI team" during 2024 layoffs, cutting approximately 2% of total workforce with reports indicating DEI roles were specifically targeted. Zoom stated it plans to work with "external constituents" instead. Employee reviews noted "new leaders were 90% white men—huge loss for diversity and inclusion." Yuan was previously named Comparably's Best CEO for Diversity in 2021 before the reversals.

Eric Yuan laid off approximately 1,300 employees (15% of Zoom's workforce) in February 2023, stating "I am accountable for these mistakes." He reduced his own salary by 98% and forewent his bonus while executive team cut salaries 20%. In February 2024, Zoom cut another 150 employees (2%), with reports indicating some cuts targeted DEI roles specifically. Yuan told employees unhappy with RTO mandates to "leave the company." Total headcount dropped to 7,438 by January 2026.