The Intriguing Story of Eric Yuan, Founder of Zoom

Denied US Visa 8 times, yet went on to build Zoom Platform

“I was denied a U.S. visa 8 times… and ended up creating one of the most widely used apps in the world.”

My name is Eric Yuan. I was born and raised in a small mining town in China. From a young age, I dreamed of building technology — not just for innovation, but to bring people closer together.

Long-distance love shaped my vision: I saw my girlfriend (now my wife) only twice a year. That pain of separation planted a seed in my heart: “One day, I’ll build something that makes people feel closer, no matter the distance.”

I dreamed of Silicon Valley — but the U.S. rejected my visa eight times. Many would’ve given up. I didn’t. I kept learning English, coding, and pushing forward. On the ninth try, I made it.

I started as an engineer at WebEx, then Cisco. But virtual meetings were slow and clunky. I proposed ways to improve them — nobody listened. So, I quit. I started from scratch with 40 engineers who believed in my crazy dream. 💡

And that’s how Zoom was born.

Investors told me the market was too crowded. No one wanted in. Still, we persisted — testing, fixing, listening to users, improving.

Then 2020 hit. The world shut down… and suddenly, Zoom became the bridge between classrooms, families, friends, and companies.

Behind every “Join Meeting” button was a decade of closed doors, hard work, and relentless belief.

Lesson:
A “no” doesn’t mean you’re not good enough.
Sometimes, the only difference between a dream and a global reality… is the person who refuses to give up.

— Eric Yuan