‘Yes, people have Zoom fatigue but it’s not our fault’

Aparna Bawa says that she and fellow Zoom executives were so busy earlier this year that they had to take turns to go to bed.

“Our CMO [chief marketing officer] and I… I remember back in April we would take shifts to sleep, it was crazy,” says Ms Bawa, who is chief operating officer at the US video calls and conferencing firm that this year became a household name.

“It has been insane, but there is a time and a place. And I personally feel a strong sense of obligation. We [at Zoom] are so lucky that we can provide this service.”

Roll back to the start of this year, and it is fair to say that most people hadn’t heard of Zoom, even though the company had launched in Silicon Valley in 2012, and had grown into a very successful business.

Most of us didn’t bother with video calls, either for work or in our personal life. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit in March.