Zoom has joined the tech layoff circus, cutting 1,300 jobs as the company’s CEO cuts his salary a whopping 98 percent. Despite Zoom’s continued popularity after a pandemic boom, CEO Eric Yuan said “the uncertainty of the global economy, and its effect on our customers, means we need to take a hard—yet important—look inward to reset ourselves so we can weather the economic environment, deliver for our customers and achieve Zoom’s long-term vision.” The company’s stock sits at $83 a share as of Tuesday, down significantly from its pandemic high of $559 per share in October 2020. In the letter to employees, Yuan said he will be turning down his corporate bonus, along with other executives who will also be taking 20 percent cuts to their salary. Laid off employees will receive “outplacement services” including up to 16 weeks of salary and health care coverage, their 2023 fiscal year bonus, and six months of stock vesting, Yuan’s letter said. “We will learn from the past to set ourselves up for future success, and redouble our efforts to help evolve Zoom to tomorrow,” Yuan concluded.
