From hustle culture to quiet quitting: The good, bad and ugly of business jargon in 2024

Much of contemporary corporate jargon originated in the military world

Research found that 83% of workers admit to regularly using a corporate buzzword they didn’t understand to sound more professional.

Business jargon is a topic that generally divides people down the middle, with little room for sitting on the fence. John Maynard Smith, founder of economic game theory, believed “we invent jargon because it saves time talking to one another”. 

On the contrary side, David Ogilvy, known as the father of advertising, said that “business is infested with idiots who try to impress by using pretentious jargon”.