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They're jargon as well as buzzwords. They mean things, but they're unnecessary. "Roadmap" -> plan, strategy "Structural change" -> internal reorganizing, lay-

by rudolf0 11y ago

They're jargon as well as buzzwords. They mean things, but they're unnecessary. "Roadmap" -> plan, strategy "Structural change" -> internal reorganizing, lay-offs "Nimbler" -> fewer employees, which we hope will make us become more agile "Streamlined" -> ambiguous and essentially meaningless by itself "Impactful" -> revenue- and/or growth-generating, maybe "important"

ethbro 11y ago
You're suggesting we revert to Chaucer's English because linguistic drift is bad? I'm as much a hater of overuse of jargon as the next person, but for his intended audience I don't think this is an example of that. If one doesn't know what any of those words mean, then "Hello, welcome to Hacker News."
- mc32 11y ago
  No, it's simpler English. It's not trying to put artificial distance between speaker and audience. There is a power component to these language queues. It's like the difference between legalese and regular English.
  - phpnode 11y ago
    * cues
adevine 11y ago
But I'd argue that the "jargon" version is more precise in most cases. I mean, to me, roadmap means a very specific thing about lining up high-level features with milestones, while plan and strategy mean something more generic. Same with "nimbler" - seems like just an easier way to say more agile. I'll give you "structural change" though, which I think is just a euphemism for layoffs.
- loco5niner 11y ago
  > But I'd argue that the "jargon" version is more precise in most cases Legalese is also more precise, but also violates the "give it to you straight" principle.
metamet 11y ago
Isn't "agile" more buzzwordy than "nimbler"?
- loco5niner 11y ago
  Only if referring to "Agile" methodologies. I believe here the usage is "able to move quickly and easily".