pet project

Definition

An initiative someone powerful is personally invested in, making it politically untouchable regardless of merit or ROI. Where rational resource allocation goes to die.

Example Usage

That mobile app is the CTO's pet project, so we're funding it despite zero user demand and a six-figure monthly burn rate.

Origin

Workplace terminology from the mid-20th century

Fun Fact

Pet projects consume an estimated 15-20% of corporate innovation budgets while delivering disproportionately poor returns.

Source: Common corporate and organizational terminology

Related Terms

Beginner

pricing

The dark art of slapping dollar signs on products in a way that maximizes profit while making customers feel like they're getting a deal. It involves complex strategies like psychological pricing ($9.99 instead of $10), competitive analysis, and occasionally just throwing darts at a board. Get it wrong and you're either leaving money on the table or watching customers flee to your competitors.

💼 Corporate / Business

Intermediate

boomerang

When something returns to bite you in ways you didn't anticipate, usually referring to strategies, policies, or decisions that backfire spectacularly. In HR and employment, it's also an employee who left the company only to return later, often for more money. The corporate equivalent of "I told you so" in physical form.

💼 Corporate / Business

Intermediate

incorporate

To formally transform your side hustle into a real business entity, complete with bylaws and the legal right to be sued. In the corporate world, it also means to seamlessly blend something in, like incorporating feedback you'll promptly ignore. The ultimate act of making it official, whether you're mixing ingredients or mixing business structures.

💼 Corporate / Business

Intermediate

throw it over the wall

To complete your portion of work and toss it to the next team without coordination or concern for consequences. Teamwork at its most dysfunctional.

💼 Corporate / Business

Intermediate

Core Competency

The one thing your company claims to be really good at, which is usually just the thing you've been doing the longest. Like a restaurant saying their core competency is food -- technically true but not exactly inspiring.

💼 Corporate / Business

Intermediate

proliferation

The corporate buzzword for 'there's suddenly way too many of these things,' whether it's nuclear weapons, cell division, or project management tools in your company's tech stack. In biology, it's normal growth; in business, it often signals chaos. When someone warns about proliferation in a meeting, they're politely saying 'this is getting out of control.'

💼 Corporate / Business

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