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---
title: Boss Turns Herself Into a Potato Is a Root Vegetable Legend
description: Boss who accidentally turns herself into a potato with a filter during a Zoom conference call is a comedy legend.
canonical: https://time.com/5813683/boss-turns-herself-into-a-potato/
author: Ashley Hoffman
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article:published_time: 2020-04-01T13:03:06.000Z
article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T18:50:28.000Z
og:title: Meet the Boss Who Turned Herself Into a Potato During the Video Conference Is a Root Vegetable Comedy Legend
og:description: She goes full potato and does not return
og:url: https://time.com/5813683/boss-turns-herself-into-a-potato/
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twitter:title: Meet the Boss Who Turned Herself Into a Potato During the Video Conference Is a Root Vegetable Comedy Legend
twitter:description: She goes full potato and does not return
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# Boss Who Turned Herself Into a Potato During Video Conference Is a Root Vegetable Comedy Legend

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> Last updated: August 2026.

## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ

### Definition

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### The seven newsletters

| Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% |
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Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience.

### Key data points

| Metric | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 |
| Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 |
| Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 |
| Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 |
| Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 |
| US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 |
| Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 |
| Publishing since | 1923 | TIME |

### TIME Newsletters: key statements

*   Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically.
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*   A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=b766e79a-1822-4b38-9609-2fba60574ffa&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1).

### FAQ

#### What newsletters does TIME publish?

TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers.

#### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to?

It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters.

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#### Who writes TIME's newsletters?

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#### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter?

Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.

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by 

[Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/)


## Ashley Hoffman


Updated: Dec 12, 2023 6:50 PM UTCPublished: Apr 1, 2020 1:03 PM UTC

by 

[Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/)


## Ashley Hoffman


Updated: Dec 12, 2023 6:50 PM UTCPublished: Apr 1, 2020 1:03 PM UTC

As those working from home adjust to connecting with each other remotely, [video conference](https://time.com/5812820/victorious-ariana-grande-reunion/) hiccups abound. And one such video conference issue became internet gold. It’s easy to see why.

In this new normal for some, our identities just don’t translate so well to the whole team across a video. That’s especially true if you’re a potato with a face.

Lizet Ocampo, who works as the department head at a nonprofit focused on equal rights and justice called People For the American Way, went [viral](https://time.com/5813044/llandudno-goats/) for morphing into a potato for a video call recently.

“My boss turned herself into a potato on our Microsoft teams meeting and can’t figure out how to turn the setting off, so she was just stuck like this the entire meeting,” Twitter user @PettyClegg shared. It’s been liked nearly 900,000 times since Monday.

> [](https://twitter.com/PettyClegg/status/1244649528285855746)

Ocampo had originally downloaded the filter for a looser happy hour on Friday night for fun, but she couldn’t figure out how to turn it off for the Microsoft Team meeting by Monday morning.

“I did not get what was happening. I was like ‘why am I a potato out of all the things?’” Ocampo told TIME. “I do try to bring some humor into the meeting and that’s part of the reason why I left the potato on, I couldn’t take it off.”


The idea to be a potato had a lot to do with her team’s commitment to their work. The director said that the group centers their energy on a number of programs, including the effort to get progressives elected and that sometimes it “can get a little tiring” so “laughter is needed for many reasons.”

People adore this moment. In fact, some even feel like the potato’s facial expression, with its eyes and face, encapsulates what they are feeling in uncertain times.

“A lot of people said they really needed this laugh at this time. I’m laughing even harder because it’s me, but I would laugh if it were someone else,” she said. “I was also laughing especially at this time when things are really rough for everyone especially first responders and people who still have to work in essential jobs every day.”

She’s far from alone when it comes to technology snafus right now, but as a leader who became an [internet-famous](https://time.com/5800416/gnome-meme-explained/) tuber, she is extraordinary.


Meet “potato boss” as she’s been playfully dubbed below.

> [](https://twitter.com/lilmarob/status/1244796996713623552)

> [](https://twitter.com/mlizetocampo/status/1244837980205973506)

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