Table stakes
The bare minimum required to compete.
Corporate buzzwords beginning with T
Decode business jargon with satirical definitions and related terms. Browse 56 entries.
Table stakes
A pretentious way of saying "the bare minimum" that makes basic requirements sound like sophisticated business strategy, usually used to justify why your product costs 10x more than it should.
Table the conversation
Pause a discussion, possibly indefinitely.
Table this
A corporate euphemism for "never talk about this again" disguised as a professional way to postpone difficult decisions indefinitely.
Take it offline
A meeting escape phrase meaning 'let's discuss this when we're not pretending to care in front of everyone else.'
Take strides
A way to say "we're improving" that implies you started from a terrible position and are now just barely adequate, like congratulating someone for learning to walk.
Take this offline
A meeting escape phrase meaning 'let's discuss this when we're not pretending to care in front of everyone else.' Usually code for 'I don't want to deal with this right now.'
Take to the next level
A way to say "we're improving" that implies you were already good and are now getting even better, like congratulating someone for learning to run after they already knew how to walk.
Talent marketplace
A platform that connects skilled workers with project opportunities, like Uber but for professional services.
Task
A grammatically incorrect way to use "task" as a verb when you could just say "assign" or "give" like a normal person who speaks English properly.
Technical debt
A corporate euphemism for "we built it wrong the first time" that makes poor engineering decisions sound like a sophisticated financial concept, usually used to justify why everything is broken.
Test and learn
To experiment with different approaches, which is code for 'we have no idea what we're doing.'
Test-and-learn
A methodology of rapid experimentation to validate ideas and learn from results, like scientific method for business.
The ask
What you want someone to do, but saying 'the request' would be too straightforward.
The delta
The difference between two things, which is great until you realize the difference is everything.
Think outside the box
To think creatively or unconventionally, which is great until you realize the box exists for a reason and your creative ideas are actually terrible.
Thought leader
A self-proclaimed expert who thinks they have original ideas but usually just repackages other people's thoughts and presents them as groundbreaking insights.
Thought leadership
Writing articles that nobody reads to establish yourself as an expert in things you don't actually understand.
Thought partner
Someone who helps you think through problems, which is great until they start thinking for you.
Thought shower
Group brainstorming session.
Thought shower
A brainstorming session where everyone showers you with terrible ideas while you pretend to take notes.
Throw under the bus
A corporate survival tactic where you blame someone else for your mistakes, usually the person who wasn't even in the meeting when the decision was made.
Tiger team
Specialized group assembled to solve a challenge.
Tiger team
A corporate euphemism for "people who actually work" that makes competent employees sound like a special forces unit, usually assembled when management realizes they've been hiring idiots.
Timebox
A corporate euphemism for "setting a deadline" that makes basic time management sound like an agile methodology, usually used when meetings are running too long and people want to leave.
Tokenization
The process of converting rights to an asset into a digital token, like digitizing ownership.
Too many cooks in the kitchen
Too many people involved, slowing progress.
Top of mind
The most important or urgent consideration.
Top-down
Leadership makes decisions that cascade down to employees.
Touch base
To have a brief conversation or check-in, which in corporate terms usually means having a long, unproductive meeting that accomplishes nothing but makes everyone feel like they're being collaborative.
Touchpoint
A corporate euphemism for "interaction" that makes every customer contact sound like a strategic business decision, even when it's just someone asking for a refund.
Tour of duty
A set period of work on a role or mission.
Traction
Evidence of progress or acceptance.
Transformational
Something that changes everything, which is great until you realize it changes everything for the worse.
Transformational Alignment
More of a mantra than a method, Transformational Alignment thrives in quarterly reports and keynote speeches.
Transformational Architecture
Transformational Architecture promises sweeping change, though in practice it’s usually just a rebrand of existing processes.
Transformational Blueprint
When someone says Transformational Blueprint, it’s often code for ‘we don’t really know what this means, but it sounds innovative.’
Transformational Ecosystem
When someone says Transformational Ecosystem, it’s often code for ‘we don’t really know what this means, but it sounds innovative.’
Transformational Framework
Think of Transformational Framework as corporate poetry: pretty words, little substance.
Transformational Initiative
Transformational Initiative sounds like the future but usually translates into another layer of PowerPoint slides.