Zoom president terminated 'without cause'

Greg Tomb had been with the California tech giant for less than a year

Zoom president terminated 'without cause'

Zoom has abruptly terminated company president Greg Tomb, effective immediately.

Tomb will receive severance benefits in accordance with arrangements that are payable upon a “termination without cause,” the San Jose, CA-based company said in a regulatory filing.

In addition to a $45 million stock grant that would vest over four years, Tomb’s employment included a $400,000 base salary with an 8% bonus target, according to a June filing.

A Zoom spokesperson told Bloomberg the company isn’t looking to find a replacement at this time. Tomb is a former Google executive who had only started at the videoconferencing company in June 2022.

Last month, the technology giant announced plans to cut approximately 15% (1,300 employees) of its workforce.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom tripled its staffing within 24 months to meet demand, according to Zoom CEO Eric Yuan. “But we also made mistakes,” Yuan wrote in a message to employees that’s been posted on Zoom’s blog. “We didn’t take as much time as we should have to thoroughly analyze our teams or assess if we were growing sustainably, toward the highest priorities.”

Yuan said the layoffs will impact every organization across Zoom. Laid-off workers in the United States will receive up to 16 weeks’ salary and healthcare coverage, payment of their earned FY’23 annual bonus based on company performance, RSU and stock option vesting for six months and outplacement services that include 1:1 coaching, workshops, networking groups and more.

“As the CEO and founder of Zoom, I am accountable for these mistakes and the actions we take today– and I want to show accountability not just in words but in my own actions,” Yuan wrote.

As a result, he says he’s reducing his salary for the coming fiscal year by 98% and foregoing his FY23 corporate bonus. Members of the executive leadership team will reduce their base salaries by 20% for the coming fiscal year while also forfeiting their FY23 corporate bonuses. 

“As the world transitions to life post-pandemic, we are seeing that people and businesses continue to rely on Zoom. But 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,” Yuan wrote.

Recent articles & video

Talent mobility: What’s the most challenging country for remote workers?

Organisations warned about 'overconfidence' dealing with threats in cybersecurity

Which countries hired the most expats in 2023?

4 in 5 employers redesigning workspace with return to office: survey

Most Read Articles

U.S. proposes legislation pushing 4-day workweek

Over 4 in 10 managers hope AI can replace their teams

Expert calls for quarterly cybersecurity training given threat of human error