Shiv Nadar and Eric Yuan built their careers around technology, but their paths developed in different markets and generations. Nadar co-founded HCL in 1976 and helped shape India’s technology industry, while Yuan founded Zoom in 2011 after senior engineering roles at WebEx and Cisco. Both became closely associated with major technology companies they founded, while also moving into broader leadership roles. The comparison below brings together their personal backgrounds, wealth, education, family, careers and major achievements in one detailed table.
Shiv Nadar and Eric Yuan Quick Bio
| Category | Shiv Nadar | Eric Yuan |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Shiv Nadar | Eric S. Yuan |
| Date of Birth | July 14, 1945 | February 20, 1970 |
| Net Worth | Approximately $28.2 billion, Forbes real-time estimate, September 2026 | Approximately $5.6 billion, Forbes real-time estimate, September 2026 |
| Height | Unverified | Unverified |
| Age | 81 years as of September 21, 2026 | 56 years as of September 21, 2026 |
| Birth Place | Moolaipozhi, Tamil Nadu, India | Shandong Province, China |
| Nationality | Indian | American |
| Profession | Technology entrepreneur, businessman and philanthropist | Technology entrepreneur, software engineer and business executive |
| Famous For | Co-founding HCL and building it into a global technology company | Founding Zoom Communications |
| Nickname | Magus — reported | Unverified |
| Parents | Sivasubramaniya Nadar and Vamasundari Devi | Parents were mining engineers |
| Siblings | Public information is limited | Has an older brother |
| Hobbies & Interests | Bridge, philanthropy and education initiatives | Basketball, technology and spending time with family |
| Weight | Unverified | Unverified |
| Hair Color | Unverified | Unverified |
| Eye Color | Unverified | Unverified |
| No verified personal Instagram account established | No verified personal Instagram account established | |
| Marital Status | Married | Married |
| Spouse | Kiran Nadar | Wife’s personal details are largely private |
| Children | Roshni Nadar Malhotra | Three children |
| Education | PSG College of Technology; trained as an electrical engineer | Bachelor of Engineering from Shandong Institute of Business and Technology; Master of Engineering Management from China University of Mining and Technology |
| Career Beginning | Began his career through the DCM management trainee system | Joined WebEx in 1997 as one of its founding engineers |
| Major Company Founded | HCL, founded in 1976 | Zoom, founded in 2011 |
| Current Major Role | Founder, HCL Group; Chairman Emeritus & Strategic Advisor to HCLTech | Founder & CEO, Zoom Communications |
| Previous Major Role | Former Chairman of HCL Technologies | Corporate Vice President of Engineering at Cisco |
| WebEx Connection | No direct role | Founding engineer and Vice President of Engineering at WebEx |
| Cisco Connection | No direct role | Joined Cisco after its acquisition of WebEx and led collaboration software engineering |
| HCL Development | Helped transform HCL from a hardware startup into a global technology enterprise | — |
| Zoom Development | — | Built Zoom around simpler, frictionless video communication |
| Company IPO | HCL became a major publicly traded technology company | Zoom went public in 2019 |
| Major Business Focus | IT services, technology, engineering and R&D | Video communications, collaboration software, communications and AI-powered workplace tools |
| Philanthropy | Founded the Shiv Nadar Foundation in 1994, with a major focus on education | Known primarily for technology entrepreneurship and business leadership |
| Foundation Investment | HCLTech reports $1.85 billion invested through the Shiv Nadar Foundation as of March 2026 | No comparable personal foundation documented in the same way |
| Major Award | Padma Bhushan, 2008 | TIME Businessperson of the Year, 2020 |
| Other Recognition | USISPF Lifetime Achievement Award, 2022 | TIME 100 Most Influential People, 2020 |
| Technology Legacy | One of the pioneers of India’s computing and IT industry | Helped reshape modern video conferencing and online workplace communication |
| Family Business Succession | Daughter Roshni Nadar Malhotra became Chairperson of HCLTech and HCL Group | Continues to lead Zoom as founder and CEO |
| Board Positions | Founder and strategic adviser within the HCL Group structure | Also serves on the boards of Intuit and ServiceNow |
| Major Patents | Technology leadership through HCL’s engineering and R&D development | Zoom lists Eric Yuan as an inventor on numerous real-time collaboration patents |
| Company Headquarters | HCLTech operates globally from India and international locations | Zoom is headquartered in San Jose, California |
| Business Era | Began building HCL during the rise of India’s computer industry in the 1970s | Built Zoom during the expansion of cloud-based communications in the 2010s |
| Source of Wealth | Technology and HCL-related holdings | Zoom Communications and technology |
| Family Legacy | Strongly connected with HCL and education-focused philanthropy | Primarily connected with Zoom and technology entrepreneurship |
| Current Focus | Strategic guidance, HCL legacy and philanthropy | Leading Zoom’s communications and AI-focused platform |
| Last Word | Shiv Nadar’s career combines technology entrepreneurship with large-scale education philanthropy and institution building. | Eric Yuan’s career centers on engineering, entrepreneurship and the global expansion of digital communication through Zoom. |
Shiv Nadar and Eric Yuan Images
