You open your inbox and there it is: your boss has “looped you in” to “pivot the strategy” and “drill down” for “key takeaways” before tomorrow’s “stand-up.” If you’ve ever wondered about the corporate jargon origins of these phrases, get ready to roll your eyes so hard you’ll see last quarter’s KPIs flash before you.

But somehow… you reply anyway. “Sure, I’ll do a deep dive and circle back.”

WHY. ARE. WE. LIKE. THIS.

In a new episode of Otherwords, Dr. Erica Brozovsky, PhD (a real doctor of word nerdery), takes us on a hilarious tour through the tragic history of corporate jargon. Turns out, the lingo we love to hate was cobbled together from military commands, sports metaphors, and tech bro babble.

And just like in a cult (yes, really), this jargon is less about communication and more about status. Knowing your ROIs from your KPIs from your OOO is the secret handshake of the sad office Illuminati.

But wait, there’s hope! A recent LinkedIn survey shows 60% of Gen Z want to eliminate corporate jargon entirely. Maybe they’re done “leveraging synergies” and “driving alignment.” Then again… Gen Z has their own jargon. So instead of “let’s table this,” they might say, “Let’s ghost that convo, it’s giving flop era.” Instead of “circle back,” they’ll just drop an emoji in Slack and vibe check your spreadsheet.

But until then, let’s keep circling back, pinging each other, and low-hanging our fruits — because synergy won’t optimize itself.

Watch the full video to uncover the fascinating corporate jargon origins behind those cringe-worthy phrases… and have a laugh while you’re at it!