Good vibes

“I have always envisioned it as a multipurpose platform. It was always clear to me that our value was saving money when calling abroad, and we wanted to build on that as we constantly evolve and meet our users' messaging and lifestyle needs as a super app.”

OFIR Eyal started as a product manager when he joined Rakuten Viber in 2014.

Five years later, he became chief operating officer (COO) and then rose to chief executive officer (CEO) in 2021.

He describes his stint at Viber as an “honor.”

“In that time, I saw how the company steadily advanced its mission to bring people together in a better way, from building a secure and private messaging platform to offering business messages to brands to introducing innovative new features like Viber payments and SMB (small and medium business) accounts,” Eyal told The Manila Times.

“Throughout my years with Viber, I have always envisioned it as a multipurpose platform. It was always clear to me that our value was saving money when calling abroad, and we wanted to build on that as we constantly evolve and meet our users' messaging and lifestyle needs as a super app.

“We've set the foundations for this ever since Viber was launched in 2010, and that is what we're steadily working towards every single day.

“As product manager and vice president of product, I was deeply involved in the development and innovation of our core offerings. I have worked closely with managers and teams of talented professionals involved in product, UX (user experience) design, marketing, content and localization.

“That role helped me further understand why prioritizing user needs and preferences in all aspects of our app and adapting to the constantly evolving digital landscape makes good business sense.”

When Eyal was the COO, his focus expanded to the broader operational and strategic aspects of the business.

“I was responsible for managing global teams and optimizing operational efficiencies to support our growth and goal as a super app. The role also allowed me to appreciate the role of customer support and success in our overall vision for Viber.”

Long before joining Viber, Eyal briefly visited Manila.

“It was a private trip between countries,” he said. “This is my first formal and longest visit — four days — so far.

“My stay has been fantastic. I'm mainly impressed by how people are open, warm and smiling. Everybody was super nice, even from the flight to the hotel, to the people and our team.”

Eyal had a grueling 32-hour flight to Manila.

“I had a delay because there was no direct flight,” he lamented. “The first flight got delayed, obviously, I missed my connection and then I had to wait another five hours, so it ended up to be a 32-hour kind of tour around the world.

“But I'm here now, and I'm happy. Like the moment I saw smiling faces here, I forgot all about it. So far, so good. It's a lovely country. The food is good that I'm seeing in this hotel. All sorts of agricultural technology of growing plants without soil. It's really nice. It's cool.”

When Eyal first came to the Philippines two decades ago, he didn't remember much in that one-day layover.

“But what we hear now is Filipinos are very warm, hospitable and nice,” Eyal insisted.

“The fact that English is the spoken language here helps us a lot as an international company because we can conduct user testing and get feedback without the need to have translators or intermediators.

“And we know obviously Filipinos are traveling for work around the world, so it's also classic for an app like Viber, where Filipinos need to communicate well with home when they go abroad and work.”

So far, Eyal joined Viber a decade ago and three years as CEO.

“It's been a journey, it's fun when I joined, [but] it's hard right now,” he said. “Now actually, it's getting easier in the past year, it's getting easier because when I joined it was right after Covid, so we first needed to adjust the whole internally to the hybrid mode of working and seeing exactly how we work so [as] to organize our internal structure and policies.

“Then soon after the war between Ukraine and Russia started, and these are two countries that, besides the Philippines, we have a lot of business in. Business-wise, it was challenging for us because we operate in those two countries, and it had business challenges because suddenly there were sanctions on Russia.

“So we couldn't do business there, so we had to find other businesses and grow other businesses. Naturally, we went to look where else we have a strong user base and luckily for us, we were able to grow the Filipino business to actually compensate, and now the Philippines is one of the top countries next to that, so something good came out of that.”

Out of the 190 countries where Viber is around in, with support from 44 languages, the world is divided into tiers, and the Philippines is in what they call the Top 10.

“An expansion for super apps like us also means providing better and more diverse services within a single platform, creating an integrated digital ecosystem that satisfies various aspects of a user's daily needs and lifestyle,” Eyal pointed out. “Our goal is to reduce your need to switch between apps. This means going beyond calls and messaging.

“In the Philippines, for example, we recently announced that we will be launching Viber Payments. The move makes sense given that not only is the country home to some of our most active users, but the Philippines as a whole is becoming increasingly cashless.

“This is also perfectly synergized with our SMB account feature launch, and going cashless is the next most viable offering where buying and selling take place.

“With the Viber payments, one of the first features to go live will be Business Wallet exclusively in the Philippines, which lets businesses accept payments on the app. It's a fitting addition to all of our previous initiatives.

“So we don't categorize, and because every market is different, so in some markets, we can make more money, but we don't have as [many] users. And in some markets we have users, but we can't grow. And in some markets, it's like a combination. So among the top 10 we don't rank.”

Eyal's job as Viber CEO for the past three years is undoubtedly challenging. “When you're CEO, you only get the problems that come up,” said Eyal, who's based in Israel.

“Yes. I'm traveling a lot. Our parent company is from Japan, and we have offices in Asia, like here in Manila, and we have offices in Europe. So I'm traveling quite a lot. At least once a month.

“It's always nice to see the team face-to-face like we were just saying over lunch, that there is something when you do a Zoom meeting or a conference that doesn't pass when you see it next to the person in 3D. It's not the same.

“My management style is very people-centric and very people-oriented. And it's important for me.”

Viber undoubtedly connects people anywhere in the world. Through its 14-year existence in the communication world, Viber still faced challenges.

“As with most communication platforms, perhaps the most pressing challenge was keeping users safe and protected when spams, scams and cybercriminals became increasingly sophisticated,” Eyal maintained.

“As such, we go through great lengths to keep users secure. After you send a message through Viber, it isn't stored on our servers. Instead, it travels encrypted from your device to the recipient.

“If the recipient is offline or without internet access, the message securely waits on our servers for a brief period until they are ready to receive and decrypt it. End-to-end encryption applies on all one-on-one, and group chats and video calls on Viber.”

Viber recently achieved its Service Organization Control 2 Type II certification, an auditing standard established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

“This rigorous framework guarantees the security, availability, confidentiality and privacy of customer data,” Eyal informed. “The audit was conducted by Ernst & Young, who understood the lengths we go through to protect customer data.

“As a super app, Viber is committed to constant innovations to update and add new features that will meet the evolving needs of its users.”

Eyal's accomplishment in the corporate world undoubtedly gave him fulfillment through the years.

“It feels great to work for organizations with a clear mission and a positive impact on people's lives. I think that's where fulfillment comes from,” he said. “With Viber, you can instantly see how the platform enables not just quality connections between people, but it upholds small businesses and even communities here in the Philippines.

“I have been a part of Viber for a decade now. As a leader, I understand and appreciate the intricacies and challenges of creating a culture that allows people to thrive and succeed.

“Culture defines how we treat each other as employees, how managers lead their teams and how we achieve our goals. While it's not just my sole job to foster this culture, knowing that I have a hand in that positive impact is already fulfilling.”

Eyal took up Computer Science at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology. The school is renowned for the research it conducts in biotechnology, space science, nanotechnology, stem cell science and energy.

He also holds a certificate in financial reporting and management from Tel Aviv University — Coller School of Management.

To unwind, Eyal gets to bond with his two teenage sons and spend quality time with them.

“I have two boys in their teens, and I like this phase very much not only because I can sleep for a full night, but also because we have common interests and pastimes now, so what we love to do together, like going to the cinema and catching Marvel comics.

“Aside from Marvel films that my two boys also love, I am also a fan of American sports dramas where the story often centers on underdogs. The plot typically involves a struggling team.

“With the right manager and coach, they overcome their challenges and achieve great success. These kinds of stories resonate with me because they also reflect my management philosophy.”

The pandemic proved how fast market circumstances can really change, as shared by Eyal. This was a challenge for us because we saw a noticeable surge in our user base and user activity as people were forced to stay home.

“Viber recorded a surge in messages and calls sent as well as an increase in usage of chatbots and communities. That time truly underscored the role of messaging apps like Viber in staying connected with family, friends, colleagues, educators, communities — and even with brands and MSMEs (micro small and medium enterprises) we trust. They have become our social lifeline.

“Throughout the pandemic, people use Viber to stay on top of the latest news and keep up with all the relevant happenings in their neighborhoods and in the communities that matter to them. This is why we partnered with the likes of the World Health Organization and the Philippines' Department of Health to fight Covid-19 misinformation.

“We enhanced our core features to improve group calls and allowed users to create super group chats like communities and channels. We have also introduced features like Viber Lens and Notes to engage while being on the app for communication and converse.

“We had to work tirelessly to make communication better while keeping privacy a top priority, knowing that our millions of users were relying on us to stay connected with the people that matter most.”

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QUICK QUESTIONS

What motivates you to work hard?

Knowing how Viber helps build connections and satisfy justify lifestyle needs.

What was the last book you read?

“Atomic Habits” by James Clear.

Which celebrity would you like to meet for a cup of coffee?

Now that I'm in the Philippines, I'd like to meet the Viber Backstage Pass artists — Juan Karlos (Labajo) or Zack Tabudlo.

What is the most daring thing you have ever done?

As a CEO, one of the most daring decisions I made was to completely change our company's structure to better meet the need for focus and faster execution. Despite initial resistance and the risks involved, together with the management team, we led the company to invest in a new structure that will allow teams to be more accountable for their results.