What's going on?

Zoom reported better-than-expected quarterly results late on Monday, so let�s just hope no one quits while the teleconferencing company is ahead�

What does this mean?

Zoom always knew lockdowns weren�t going to last forever, which is precisely why the company�s been looking for ways to make sure its business keeps growing no matter what. One of its priorities has been to raise the profile of its hybrid product: a conference room setup that�ll connect those in meeting rooms to those in their living rooms. The other has been to double down on big business customers, which has been proving particularly fruitful: the number of customers spending more than $100,000 a year with Zoom nearly doubled last quarter from the same time the year before. Smart moves, both: they helped lift the company�s revenue by a better-than-expected 35% versus the same time a year ago.

Why should I care?

For markets: Investors are shooting their own foot.
Investors clearly have their doubts about Zoom�s long-term future, having sent its stock down more than 30% since July. But the irony is that they�re the ones making it more difficult for Zoom to limit the very drop-off in growth they�re worried about. Take the Five9 saga: Zoom announced plans to buy the customer support software provider in July using its shares as payment, in an effort to diversify its business offerings and shore up its growth. But with investors continuing to send Zoom�s share price south over the next couple of months, Five9 ended up calling the whole thing off.

Zooming out: Out of the frying pan.
Then again, maybe we�re not quite done with Zoom calls just yet: Austria just imposed its fourth national lockdown this week on the back of rising coronavirus infections, and Germany�s reportedly thinking about doing the same (tweet this). That might be why the company�s revenue outlook for this quarter came in better than expected, then�