Definition

A graceful way of saying the original plan was a dumpster fire and now we're trying something completely different while pretending it was the plan all along. Silicon Valley's favorite dance move.

Example Usage

"After burning through 2 million dollars, our CEO announced we were going to pivot, which is corporate for admitting he read the wrong chapter of his business book."

Related Terms

Beginner

strategizing

The act of making plans that sound impressive in meetings but may or may not survive contact with reality. The business world's favorite activity, involving whiteboards, buzzwords, and conviction that this time the plan will actually work. Can range from legitimate tactical planning to elaborate ways of avoiding actual work.

💼 Corporate / Business
Advanced

BV

Short for Besloten Vennootschap, the Dutch version of a private limited liability company that's basically the Netherlands' answer to Germany's GmbH. You'll see "BV" tagged onto company names throughout the Low Countries, signaling that shareholders' personal assets are protected from corporate debts—because the Dutch love their legal structures almost as much as their bicycles.

💼 Corporate / Business
Beginner

stretch goal

An ambitious target unlikely to be achieved, set by managers who won't face consequences for the inevitable failure but will claim credit if it somehow succeeds.

💼 Corporate / Business
Advanced

delimitation

The act of drawing boundaries or limits around something, whether it's a research scope, territorial borders, or the precise extent of your responsibilities before they become someone else's problem. In academia and business, it's how you politely tell stakeholders 'this is what we're doing, and everything else is out of scope.' Think of it as the corporate version of building a fence, but with more documentation and fewer property disputes.

💼 Corporate / Business
Intermediate

mushroom management

A leadership style where employees are kept in the dark and fed manure, only to be surprised when expectations suddenly appear. Information hoarding disguised as a management strategy.

💼 Corporate / Business
Beginner

Walk the floor

When executives leave their corner offices to briefly interact with regular employees, like anthropologists visiting a remote tribe. Often done before layoffs to identify who actually works there.

💼 Corporate / Business

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