Ask HN: What buzzwords or expressions do you dislike the most?
I always hear people say “I’ll talk to you offline” during meetings, but logically it never made sense to me.
26 comments
"Machine Learning" and "AI": when used by people clueless of basic logic or stats
"Synergy": Management uses this word a lot, often to appear not clueless (or helpless) of how business processes work
"Techie": Too broad a term to describe anyone. From a rich kid with lots of gadgets to a world renowned authority on a subject.
"20 years of experience between us" or "Combined 20 years of experience in xx Technology": When 10 kids are running a startup after working two years part time during college.
"Synergy": Management uses this word a lot, often to appear not clueless (or helpless) of how business processes work
"Techie": Too broad a term to describe anyone. From a rich kid with lots of gadgets to a world renowned authority on a subject.
"20 years of experience between us" or "Combined 20 years of experience in xx Technology": When 10 kids are running a startup after working two years part time during college.
"optics". when used instead of "perception". As in "Blah Blah created bad optics for our department".
"head count" when used by mid-level managers, who want to look cool, instead of word "position" or "open position". Annoys me when I hear: "We have 3 open head-counts" - we are not cattle, we are people.
"head count" when used by mid-level managers, who want to look cool, instead of word "position" or "open position". Annoys me when I hear: "We have 3 open head-counts" - we are not cattle, we are people.
[deleted]
CI/CD - most companies say they do it, but in reality they don't
Cloud - hate this world even after all these years
Senior Developer - a rank that can be anything from 3 years to 10 years experience
This is one of my favourite clips from Silicon Valley TV show, it is very relevant to this topic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-GVd_HLlps
Cloud - hate this world even after all these years
Senior Developer - a rank that can be anything from 3 years to 10 years experience
This is one of my favourite clips from Silicon Valley TV show, it is very relevant to this topic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-GVd_HLlps
I know I’ll probably get a lot of flack for this but: “start up”.
No, just because I have a small tech business does not mean I have a start up. We actually make things that people buy, develop cool (in my opinion) technology, have interesting unique customers AND are commercially profitable.
No, just because I have a small tech business does not mean I have a start up. We actually make things that people buy, develop cool (in my opinion) technology, have interesting unique customers AND are commercially profitable.
"Disruptive" - It's a term that used to describe an annoying school child, but now all of the startup junkies use it to push their grandiose ideas that they claim will upend major industries.
Schumpeter used this term in 1942 to describe startups destroying incumbents.
"In Schumpeter's vision of capitalism, innovative entry by entrepreneurs was the disruptive force that sustained economic growth, even as it destroyed the value of established companies and laborers that enjoyed some degree of monopoly power."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_destruction
"In Schumpeter's vision of capitalism, innovative entry by entrepreneurs was the disruptive force that sustained economic growth, even as it destroyed the value of established companies and laborers that enjoyed some degree of monopoly power."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_destruction
DC when used to mean Data Centre and Domain Controller.
IP when used to mean Intellectual Property and Internet Protocol.
There are more examples of this that I can't think of right now. Acronyms should be defined the first time you use them and should never change meaning for the rest of the conversation.
IP when used to mean Intellectual Property and Internet Protocol.
There are more examples of this that I can't think of right now. Acronyms should be defined the first time you use them and should never change meaning for the rest of the conversation.
"Productivity" as the only measure of success or team performance. I'm wondering if other industries are as concerned with productivity.
"Resources" to talk about people/skills/talent
"Cloud" when used by management
"Cyber security" (Yeh)
"Steal the IP" (it gained traction at one point)
"Resources" to talk about people/skills/talent
"Cloud" when used by management
"Cyber security" (Yeh)
"Steal the IP" (it gained traction at one point)
Bullish - i'm feeling bullish
Personas - we have to recreate product material for the different personas (before it was for departments, postions, industry, etc..)
Personas - we have to recreate product material for the different personas (before it was for departments, postions, industry, etc..)
Personas go beyond the things you mentioned, they should also consider motivations, objections, fears, etc.
This one is a little silly, but I don't like when people use "exponentially" to mean just really big. Like when someone says version 2.0 is exponentially better than version 1.0.
I realize I'm being pedantic here but for some reason I still don't like it!
I realize I'm being pedantic here but for some reason I still don't like it!
- Cognitive
- Solutioning
- Learning as a noun, as in "these are some good learnings"
- Most things mentioned in Weird Al's brilliant lampoon of Judy Blue Eyes using corporate-speak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyV_UG60dD4
- Solutioning
- Learning as a noun, as in "these are some good learnings"
- Most things mentioned in Weird Al's brilliant lampoon of Judy Blue Eyes using corporate-speak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyV_UG60dD4
Hacks. Cutting-edge. Bleeding AI. Cognitive ML. Deep Learning. Decentralized. Blockchain. Crypto.
Some guy with name "X" expressing personal opinions as "Xology" :p
Some guy with name "X" expressing personal opinions as "Xology" :p
'quick question'
'hack' really annoys me when used like this: 'life hack'. In this context: 'anyone got any good life hacks?'.
Your asking to tips or suggestions not fucking hacks.
Your asking to tips or suggestions not fucking hacks.
I’d go even further and include “hacker” and “hacking” No, a hacker hacking does not necessarily mean a bad guy doing bad stuff with computers.
Decentralized, especially when there’s a single company behind it.
Human "resources." Comparing people to metal ore that you can mine out of the ground is dumb.
not IT related but...
Artisan Hand Crafted * to table etc
any adjective food
More on topic is web bullshit generator [0]. When you need a good verb adjective and noun all in one.
[0] https://www.dack.com/web/bullshit.html
Artisan Hand Crafted * to table etc
any adjective food
More on topic is web bullshit generator [0]. When you need a good verb adjective and noun all in one.
[0] https://www.dack.com/web/bullshit.html
Sometimes
private cloud
machine learning becomes a buzzword;
Well, even DevOps has become one...
private cloud
machine learning becomes a buzzword;
Well, even DevOps has become one...
"With Biological Ingredients"
"Organic Cotton"
"Organic Cotton"
Realtime for anything that isn’t...
"ask" as a noun.
Cloud native