As someone who thrives on productive, seamless collaboration, I love hearing business leaders admit how AI is already reshaping their own daily workflows. At the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference this week, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan offered some of his most candid insights yet. His message? AI is not just an upgrade. It’s becoming the very language of work.
AI as the CEO’s Companion
Yuan didn’t hold back. “If it’s not because of AI, very likely I’m going to retire,” he joked. Instead, he says AI has reignited his founder’s spirit, making him feel like it’s 2011 all over again. For Yuan, the spark is productivity through conversation.
More and more, I’m talking to ChatGPT
He revealed. In his world, AI isn’t a gimmick. It’s a practical interface that saves time, reduces friction, and empowers leaders to focus on what matters most: people and outcomes.
He shared an example: when he needs a Q2 board slide deck, he simply asks Zoom’s AI Companion. Within seconds, the task is done—no lengthy preparation, no waiting on support teams. It’s a provocative glimpse of how AI will unburden knowledge workers from repetitive tasks.
From Meetings to “Systems of Action”
Zoom’s mission, Yuan explained, is shifting from video conferencing to a “system of actions.” That means AI is embedded before, during, and after meetings. It prepares agendas, creates summaries, generates follow-up tasks, and even sends reminders into workflows.
Internal meetings, Yuan predicts, could one day be attended by our digital twins—AI avatars that can participate, answer routine questions, and report back. “Very likely, you send your digital twin to join,” he suggested. While external, first-time customer calls still demand human presence, internal productivity could soon be transformed by voice-enabled assistants.
Why Voice is the Next Frontier
Yuan’s conviction lies in voice. While AI started with text, he believes the enterprise world will soon shift to voice-first interfaces. Instead of typing prompts, leaders will simply talk. Conversations with AI will draft documents, send emails, analyse costs, and manage projects in natural language.
Today, more and more, I do not text with ChatGPT. I’m talking to ChatGPT. This is happening already. Very soon, a similar experience will happen in the enterprise world as well
Yuan said at the Goldman Sachs conference.
This shift matters because voice feels human. It removes the learning curve of complex apps and makes AI adoption easier for employees across generations and skill sets.
Why Business Leaders Should Pay Attention
For IT and EX leaders, Yuan’s message is clear: AI won’t stay in the background. It will replace clunky interfaces with simple conversations. The winners will be those who adopt AI not just as a tool, but as a trusted business partner.
- Faster output: Routine tasks become instant.
- Smarter meetings: AI avatars capture, summarise, and act.
- Voice as productivity: Natural conversations replace menus and clicks.
- Trust and scale: SMBs already embrace Zoom’s AI for cost savings, while enterprises are cautiously aligning AI with governance.
Zoomtopia 2025: The Next Step
On September 17–18, Zoomtopia will showcase this vision. Expect demonstrations of voice-first AI, Clips avatars, and federated AI architecture that blends multiple models for the best results. For buyers and decision-makers, it’s the chance to see how Zoom is turning meetings into outcomes.
Ponder This…
If the CEO of Zoom is talking to ChatGPT more than he’s typing, what does that mean for your workplace? The future of productivity is voice-enabled, AI-supported, and outcome-driven. The question for leaders is no longer if AI will transform work—it’s how fast you’ll embrace it.
Call to Action
Join 2,000+ peers in our UC community on LinkedIn and subscribe to our UC Today newsletter for the weekly rundown of the most crucial UC industry news.
