Eric Yuan was born and raised in Tai'an, Shandong Province, China.
12 Facts About Eric Yuan
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Eric Yuan earned a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics with a minor in computer application from Shandong University of Science and Technology, and a master's degree in geology engineering from China University of Mining and Technology in Beijing.
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At the time, Eric Yuan spoke very little English, and applied nine times before being granted a visa to the United States.
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Eric Yuan was acquired by Cisco Systems in 2007, at which time Yuan became vice president of engineering.
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In 2019, Zoom became a public company via an initial public offering, at which time Eric Yuan became a billionaire.
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Eric Yuan's wealth has increased during COVID-19 pandemic, as Zoom benefited from the shift to online work and teaching.
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In March 2021, Eric Yuan transferred $6 billion worth of Zoom shares to a grantor retained annuity trust, for which Eric Yuan is a trustee.
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Eric Yuan married his girlfriend, Sherry, at the age of 22, while he was a master's student at China University of Mining and Technology in Beijing.
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One of his children is Roy Eric Yuan, who plays on the Stanford basketball team and has a YouTube channel with over 40,000 subscribers.
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Eric Yuan chose the middle name "S" after Subrah Iyar, cofounder of WebEx.
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Eric Yuan was named the 2020 Time Businessperson of the Year, and was included in the Time 100 Most Influential People of 2020.
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In 2020, Eric Yuan was named by Carnegie Corporation of New York as an honoree of the Great Immigrants Awards.