The explanation for their popularity is that it isn't a constant struggle to use zoom for meetings. Their software may have other problems, but people can run it and get into a meeting with minimal effort.

Yesterday by comparison half the people on a Skype meeting had to dial into an audio bridge with their cell phones because their computer audio didn't work for no fucking reason, and screen sharing kept lagging unless restarted every so often.

The good marketing for zoom is that webex is awful.

>The good marketing for zoom is that webex is awful.

100% this. We switched to zoom as stay home orders came out. And only because it worked 100% every time, with little to no fiddling. The non-tech literate employees at my place are patting themselves on the back for being able to set up and host a zoom meeting. Because it's one button.

And that's why they're used so much. They are the literal definition of it just works. People aren't worried about anything else right now.

I would never call them "just works." I had it completely lock up my macbook (no mouse movement or anything until it finally black screened) on joining a conference this afternoon. No program has done that to me in the past year.

I dont know, their competitors are probably the reason for their popularity. It’s definitely a space with a lack of genuinely UX focused competitors.

Sure but that’s kind of like saying Wells Fargo has competitive interest rates. The advertised product isn’t the problem. It’s everything they make you take along with it.

I think it's more incompetence on the part of their engineers.

Engineers code shitty apps to fill requirements. Lie to project/product managers about what is complete, or have a "good enough" attitude. Managers communicate to marketing that Zoom is end to end encrypted.