Zoom in a new world
Cold takes w/ The Labyrinth
Just over a year ago Zoom went public and experienced a pretty incredible “pop” in share price. This spurred a vigorous discussion on twitter about whether or not Zoom was going to totally change the face of the workplace and eliminate the need for business travel.
I dove into the debate on twitter. Lets see how right (or wrong) I was now that world is a different place and we have an extra year to work with.
I touched on two issues here (1) Silicon Valley being in an informational bubble and (2) Silicon Valley’s public perception.
The informational bubble remains just as relevant today as it was a year ago. I really worry that Covid-19 is further polarizing us and is going to increase the differences between the metro coasts and the rural inner regions of the country. If we don’t actively travel and interact we’re in deep trouble. We will lose out on opportunities, we will completely lose our ability to empathize and we will contribute to future conflict.
The perception problem was true, right up until Covid-19. Public and political perception of the tech industry has been plummeting for the last couple years. The idea that we would all transition to just dialing in for board meetings and not visiting other parts of the country would have only exacerbated this problem. Covid however is changing public perception given how completely the tech community has stepped up to help. Additionally, I don’t think anyone will question any VCs (or anyone else for that matter) who want to adopt a Zoom first meeting policy going forward in the Post-Covid world.
Still 100% true, plus now we’ve learned about a bunch of security issues.
This continues to be a problem. Lack of eye contact, audio and video temporal discontinuity, missed offscreen cues and the hundred of little things that aren’t quite right not only undermine our ability to connect with people on a more human level but also make it harder for us to build trust. Moreover, research is showing if you’ve felt more tired after video calls, it isn’t just you. The extra cognitive load of dealing with zoom calls is literally exhausting.
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200421-why-zoom-video-chats-are-so-exhausting?utm_source=pocket-newtab
As I wrote a couple weeks back, Zoom does an admirable job checking the boxes on meetings but it absolutely fails at serendipity which is where many in the venture, tech and investing community really create value. People are experimenting with ways to keep serendipity alive during the Covid-19 outbreak but I don’t think anyone has really figured this out. Video calls cannot substitute for serendipity.
Still true and will be until virtual reality experiences are indistinguishable from “real” life. Its just straight up neuroscience https://www.lifehack.org/536478/neuroscientist-says-when-you-travel-your-brain-reacts-special-way. We need new stimuli to live and to grow and zoom cannot replicate those experiences.
Also remains true. Various folks are working on ways to meet new people through zoom. Zoom happy hours, video call supported conferences with networking “rooms” and the like. That said, none of these things seems to be taking off and I can’t imagine getting a feel for Montreal or another region without having an opportunity to travel their, breath the air there and meet folks while being physically there.
See above re: serendipity
Still true. My most focused time is still time I spend on a plane.
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Zoom has proven to be an invaluable tool in the tool kit, particularly in the mid-coved-19 world but from everything we’ve seen it can’t serve as a permanent replacement for work travel and meeting people where they are. While we have been adhering religiously to shelter in place guidelines, we fully intend to be traveling the country again next year, even if it means wearing a friendly mask. I hope you too will continue to explore the world once it is safe to do so.
Reply to this email and let me know if you like revisiting hot topics from one year ago to see what has changed and what remains the same.