Business
Zoom: The video conferencing company had quite a year, but how do the company's prospects look post-pandemic?

Zoom: The video conferencing company had quite a year, but how do the company's prospects look post-pandemic?

Few companies have become as synonymous with the pandemic as Zoom. The video conferencing software that entered most of our lives last March is even starting to enter our language as a verb, much in the same way that Google did for search. Shall we Zoom next week? Yeah, I'm free.

So it's no surprise then that Zoom clocked in a phenomenal $882m of revenue in its latest quarter, up from $188m in its last pre-pandemic quarter — almost a fivefold jump in just a year. That explosive growth even translated into the rarest of things for many fast-growing tech companies — actual profits.

Peak Zoom?

With all that said, the future for Zoom looks slightly less exciting. In their earnings release this week, Zoom indicated to investors that they expect revenue to clock in at just under $3.8bn for the coming 12 months. If that estimate is correct, as the chart shows, it would represent a pretty sizeable slowdown in growth, with revenue expected to grow just ~2% in the next quarter Zoom reports.

Zoom fatigue

It's possible that Zoom management are just trying to be conservative after a stellar year, but it's also true that Zoom fatigue is a very real thing (a recent Stanford study actually found 4 reasons as to why we feel so tired after hours of video calls).

Ask 5 people what they think the future of work looks like, and you'll probably get 5 different answers. For Zoom to keep growing it needs to hope two things happen. The first is that the use of video calls sticks around at this elevated level, and the second is that a bigger tech company doesn't come and eat their lunch in an industry where brand loyalty is unlikely to be very strong.

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Starbucks issues apology after viral “Bearista” cup meltdown

Holiday cheer turned into chaos this week for Starbucks after the coffee giant’s new “Bearista” holiday cup sent fans into a frenzy. 

Dropped alongside its 2025 holiday menu, the $30 beanie-wearing glass bear tumbler sparked long lines, sellouts, and even in-store scuffles before Starbucks stepped in with an apology.

“The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations,” the company said in a statement to People. “Despite shipping more Bearista cups to our coffeehouses than almost any other item this holiday season, the Bearista cup and some other items sold out fast.”

Within hours of launch, frustrated fans flooded Starbucks’ social media pages and even store hotlines. Some customers waited in line before dawn and others said their stores received only a handful of cups. In one Houston location, the craze even turned physical, with police reportedly called to break up a brawl. Meanwhile, the cup is already reselling on sites like eBay, with listings topping $600.

“We understand many customers were excited about the Bearista cup and apologize for the disappointment this may have caused,” Starbucks said. While in-store customers may be upset, investors seem happy about the viral hit, as the stock has risen over 3% on Friday.

If you’re still hoping for a Bearista at market price, that may not be on order: the chain didn’t disclose how many cups were made or whether a restock is planned.

business

Target tells workers to smile, wave, and greet shoppers if they come within 10 feet of them

Target just rolled out a new rule for store employees: smile, make eye contact, and greet or wave when a shopper comes within 10 feet — and if they get closer, within four feet, ask whether they need help or how their day is going, according to a new Bloomberg report.

Dubbed the 10-4 program internally, the rule mirrors rival Walmarts own 10-foot policy, formalizing behavior Target had previously only encouraged.

business

Monster surges on energy drink buzz, while Celsius sinks on distribution concerns

Shares of Monster Beverage climbed 5% after the bell on Thursday, and held most of those gains into early trading on Friday, following strong Q3 results.

The energy drink giant topped market expectations, with quarterly sales up 17% year over year to $2.2 billion and adjusted net profits growing 41% to $524.5 million — 11% ahead of Wall Street’s estimates. In the report, Monster highlighted its zero-sugar line and new product launches, with a stack of novel flavors already released this year, as bright spots.

During a call with analysts, Chief Executive Hilton Schlosberg said that the global energy drink category “remains healthy with robust growth,” The Wall Street Journal reported, adding that demand for more affordable caffeinated drinks is rising as coffee has become “really expensive.”

Meanwhile, rival beverage business Celsius saw shares fall as much as 23% on its Q3 results yesterday — despite beating expectations, with revenue jumping 173% — largely due to concerns about a change in the company’s distribution channel, as its newly acquired Alani Nu brand joins the PepsiCo distribution network.

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