Zoom

Zoom Video Communications, commonly known as Zoom, provides a cloud-based video conferencing platform for meetings, webinars, and collaboration. It was founded in 2011 by Eric Yuan, a former Cisco WebEx engineer, and launched Zoom Meetings in 2013. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California, and went public on April 18, 2019, under the NASDAQ ticker ZM. In 2020 it acquired Keybase to bolster security and identity services.

Zoom's platform includes video and audio conferencing, chat, screen sharing, breakout rooms, virtual backgrounds, recording with transcripts, and calendar integrations. It serves individuals and organizations through products such as Zoom Meetings, Zoom Chat, Zoom Rooms, Zoom Webinars, and Zoom Phone. Clients run on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. The basic plan is free, with a 40-minute limit on group meetings; 1:1 meetings can exceed that limit.

Security and privacy have been prominent concerns, with early incidents of unauthorized meetings. Zoom has since added host controls, passwords, waiting rooms, and improved encryption options. An optional end-to-end encryption feature is available for meetings, subject to limitations. The company publishes security updates and maintains compliance with standards such as HIPAA, GDPR, and SOC 2 Type II.

Zoom faces competition from Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Cisco Webex. It is widely used by businesses, schools, and government agencies for remote work and distance learning, and its usage surged during the COVID-19 pandemic.