Since the coronavirus pandemic began, videoconferencing for remote working, learning, and social interaction has taken center stage, and so have companies that provide the service. Zoom went viral over the last few weeks as it ascended into household name status but later took a hit as privacy issues surfaced.
In a message this week, CEO Eric Yuan laid out the company's 90-day plan to focus the company 100 percent on security and privacy and to engage top experts to help. One of those experts is a former Facebook chief security officer, Alex Stamos, who joined Cheddar to discuss the changes the company is making.
"The goal of Zoom right now is to find ways to increase privacy for all of their meetings and provide options for users who have really strong security requirements," said Stamos, citing the many high profile Zoom meetings that have occurred over the last few weeks — including cabinet meetings held by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The company has taken major steps, such as hiring outside firms to simulate hackers to study how people are breaking into chats and meetings or, as it is now known, 'Zoom-bombing.' The videoconferencing firm is also working towards deploying end-to-end encryption for its users so that chats would become protected against would-be "bombers," but doing that is "a really complicated thing, especially with Zoom's scale," according to Stamos.
However, Zoom announced on Thursday that it acquired the company Keybase to be a vital part of reaching that encryption goal.
The company's shift towards focusing on security has not fallen on deaf ears, as the New York City Department of Education lifted its ban on using the platform for remote teaching. While the company continues to strive for a more secure video-chatting experience, Stamos assured Cheddar that already "a bunch of bugs have been found and fixed."
Nestlé has dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a direct subordinate. The company announced on Monday that the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found that Freixe violated Nestlé’s code of conduct. He had been CEO for a year. Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive, will replace him. Chairman Paul Bulcke stated that the decision was necessary to uphold the company’s values and governance. Navratil began his career with Nestlé in 2001 and has held various roles, including CEO of Nestlé's Nespresso division since 2024.
Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after they joined in a massive merger that created one of the biggest food companies on the planet. One of the companies will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other will include brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables. When the company formed in 2015 it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale, but shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking to introduce healthier options at the table. Kraft Heinz's net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.
