"People over-extend on preferences on software purchases. This is an example of how old habits die hard — it's an objectively bad product, but people continue to use it."
1. You Already Have the Solution. There are standalone video conferencing products integrated within productivity suites (Microsoft Teams or Google Meet) that effectively perform Zoom's job without incurring additional licensing fees. For the vast majority of organizations, paying for a separate, dedicated video conferencing product is an unnecessary expense.You don’t need another expense! Especially in this economy.
2. The Features Are Merely Average. Zoom's features felt novel and essential in 2020. Today, however, every major competitor offers the same capabilities (virtual backgrounds, screen sharing, recording). The novelty is gone, and the design remains merely average, failing to offer a truly superior user experience. My personal least favorite lack of feature is how they don’t let you copy and paste images into the zoom chat.
3. Poor Accessibility: The Web Experience is Subpar. Not every user wants or needs to install proprietary software on their device. Unfortunately, Zoom's web-based experience for joining and participating in meetings is horrible and prompts you to download the app EVERY time. This creates unnecessary friction and discourages easy, lightweight use.
4. A Fundamental Misunderstanding: Meetings are Unproductive. Zoom wants to position itself as a holistic productivity application. This goal is flawed because it fundamentally misunderstands the nature of modern work: excessive, scheduled meetings are often a core driver of unproductivity. By relentlessly promoting "meeting culture," Zoom is solving a problem (how to meet) while exacerbating the deeper organizational issue (why are we meeting so much???