"Can everyone hear me?" is the opening line of the remote meeting era. It is asked at the beginning of almost every video call, by almost every participant, in almost every organization. It has been asked millions of times. The audio problems that prompted it have not been resolved.
The audio problem timeline
The early days: "Can everyone hear me?" was a genuine question. Audio quality was inconsistent. Connections dropped. Microphones failed. The question was necessary.
The middle period: Audio quality improved significantly. The question persisted as a ritual. It was no longer necessary in most cases, but it had become the expected opening of a remote meeting. Skipping it felt abrupt.
The current era: "Can everyone hear me?" is now a social convention. It signals that the meeting is starting. It gives latecomers a moment to join. It fills the awkward silence between "the meeting has started" and "the meeting has content." It is rarely a genuine question about audio quality.
The variations
"Can you hear me?" (directed at one person who has not responded)
"Is my audio okay?" (asked while clearly audible)
"Sorry, I was on mute" (the most common sentence in remote work)
"You're breaking up a bit" (said when the audio is fine but the speaker paused)
"Can you say that again? I think you were on mute" (said when the speaker was not on mute but spoke too quietly)
The mute problem
The mute problem is the defining technical challenge of the remote meeting era. People forget they are muted. They speak at length. Nobody interrupts them. They finish. Someone says "you were on mute." They repeat everything. This has happened to everyone. It will continue to happen.
The ritual: "Can everyone hear me?" is no longer a technical question. It is a meeting opening ritual. It serves a social function. Replacing it with "let's get started" feels abrupt because the ritual has become expected. This is how workplace norms work.