Zoom CEO says I tell my team: There's no way to balance. Work is ...

Zoom

CEO

Eric Yuan

has delivered a stark message to his employees about work-life balance, telling them bluntly: "I tell our team, 'Guys, you know, there's no way to balance. Work is life, life is work.'" The tech executive's philosophy challenges conventional wisdom about maintaining boundaries between professional and personal responsibilities.Yuan shared his unconventional approach during a recent podcast appearance, explaining that he operates with just two priorities in his life. "Family and Zoom, that's pretty much it," the billionaire founder admitted, describing his streamlined focus that leaves little room for traditional hobbies or leisure activities.The 54-year-old CEO founded Zoom in 2011 after leaving his position at Cisco, where he had been unhappy for a year. Despite his desire to launch his own company, Yuan deliberately delayed the venture until his children were older, demonstrating how family considerations influenced major business decisions.

Zoom CEO chose his son’s basketball game over company’s Christmas party

Yuan's actions align with his philosophy, though perhaps not in the way employees might expect. When faced with conflicts between work obligations and family commitments, he consistently chooses family. The CEO famously skipped a company Christmas party to attend his son's basketball game, telling his team he "cannot make it on time" because he needed to finish watching the game first.Throughout his children's upbringing, Yuan attended every sports practice and dance recital, working on his laptop only when his kids were on the bench. He even avoided business travel, including investor roadshows before Zoom's 2019 IPO, relying on the company's own videoconferencing technology instead.Now an empty nester, Yuan reflects that his only regret is not spending even more time with his children before they turned 15.