# Story 3: Jamie Dimon's WFH rant at JPMorgan

- **Episode:** [226](https://agents.truthliesandwork.com/episodes/226.md) (2025-08-26)
- **Type:** other
- **Tags:** work-from-home, leadership, jpmorgan
- **Time:** 22:32–29:03 (start 1352s)
- **Listen:** [https://truthliesandwork.com/226?t=1352](https://truthliesandwork.com/226?t=1352)

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[22:32] Leanne Elliott: Jamie Dimon's work from home rant
[22:35] Al Elliott: This is funny
[22:37] Leanne Elliott: So this takes us back to February 2025. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon lost it at a town hall in Ohio when an employee asked about a petition signed by over 1,000 staff requesting hybrid work policies. So, Mr. Dimon exploded, and I will beat myself out. He said, quote, don't waste time on it. I don't care how many people sign that effing petition. Don't give me the S that work from home Friday works. Um, he went on to continue ranting about Zoom calls. A lot of you were on the effing Zoom doing the following, looking at your mail, sending texts to each other about what an a-hole the other person is
[23:21] Al Elliott: That's the beauty. That's, that's why I like those kind of Zoom calls, because I can text you and go, this person's a bit of a knob, isn't he?
[23:27] Leanne Elliott: Yeah. So anyway, um, that audio leaked, um, in February, went viral pretty much immediately. About a week later, Jamie Dimon did apologize for language but doubled down on his return to office policy. Um, so there you go. Um, some reactions said it was support for authentic leadership. Um, critic— critic—
[23:48] Al Elliott: Come on, you can do this
[23:50] Leanne Elliott: The critic said it was a boomer CEO meltdown
[23:53] Al Elliott: Well, it was
[23:55] Leanne Elliott: And business media covered it pretty extensively as an example of generational workplace divide. We have talked about this on the podcast before, Al. Where do you now— how have you reflected on Mr. Dimon's behaviour?
[24:08] Al Elliott: Well, to quote, uh, to quote Mad Men, I didn't think about him at all. Uh, I think Do you know what? If that's his opinion, that's fine. That's his opinion. He didn't go to the newspaper. He didn't go on TV and give that opinion. He gave it on a relatively private, or albeit public, albeit company, but a relatively private call. Someone's taken that and they've just played it and released it as like, this is what Jamie Dimon thinks of this. So first of all, that could be outta context. I don't think it is, but it's possibly when this is what some people say about remote work. Remote work is shit. And he went back and go, but of course I think it's great. Now, I don't think he did do that at all
[24:42] Leanne Elliott: I think we know he didn't do that
[24:43] Al Elliott: But it's possible. But still, look, this, this is this guy's opinion. He is far more successful than you and I are ever gonna be. He earns far more money than you and I are ever gonna earn, and than the majority of people in the world are gonna earn. If he wants to do it that way, let him do it that way. I don't think it's fair. I wouldn't do it in my company. I wouldn't do it in his position. But do you know what? That's his company. Well, not his company, but he's the, he's the currently presiding over it. Let him do it. What do you think?
[25:12] Leanne Elliott: I think that it's another example of it's not about the business decision you've made, it's about how that decision is executed. There is no need to be effing and blinding on a town hall with 1,000 staff. What message does that give in terms of the environment you're creating? It's very, it's very Dictator-like. It's very hierarchical
[25:35] Al Elliott: Dictatorial
[25:36] Leanne Elliott: Yes, exactly. It's just, it's old-fashioned. It's treating your, your people like children. Clearly, this is a cultural, cultural issue that's been going on for a while where they've treated their people like children. So they are acting out in ways that might seem, um, uncivil in a workplace in terms of not engaging in important Meeting, perhaps. Um, it— do you know what? The remote, hybrid, in-office, whatever its context, and culture exists independent of that context. This for me isn't about work from home, it's about control. And it's from— it's coming from somebody who feels it's slipping because everything he knew, the world that he built his success on, is changing at such a pace that he is scared about what that means for him
[26:26] Al Elliott: Yeah
[26:27] Leanne Elliott: So that for me is his fear driving a state of emotional dysregulation that's directly impacting his people and his business. Not cool
[26:37] Al Elliott: Fair enough. No, I mean, I don't think it's cool. And I think also because we're very bullish on the whole remote work thing. So I think it is kind of a little bit harmful because those people, but I think all it's doing is finding those people who are on the fence and going, I'm not sure to do remote work. And they go, I follow Jamie Dimon. Okay, well, if he thinks that, I'll think the same. Or it's just ammunition for those people who are already on the other side of the fence, on the remote work is rubbish side of the fence, and it's just giving them ammunition to go, told you I was wrong, told you I was right, told you I was right, you're wrong, I'm right. For those people who love remote work and are very happy with their staff to do remote work, I don't think it's gonna make a slightest bit of difference to them. So I think it's like a sort of a swing state, as they call it, don't they, in the American and UK elections. It's only really affecting like maybe the 10 or 15% people who are still collecting in for collecting opinions and deciding whether to go, whether they can do remote work or not. So
[27:32] Leanne Elliott: Absolutely. Like I said, it's not about, it's not about remote or in office. It's not even about the business decision made. It's how it's being handled. And again, examples of this very aggressive leadership style being normalized to the point where some people are praising it as authentic leadership. That for me is hugely problematic
[27:52] Al Elliott: That, to be fair, that's a very, very good point. But then having said that, the people who are praising it are probably the people who want to be like him. Um, they're not, you know, you're not going to get the, the, the, the John Amici of the world praising it. John Amici of the world are going to go, this is a load of rubbish. Don't be doing that. That's total rubbish. So, right. I agree that I think it's, it wasn't cool the way The way he spoke, what he said. Um, I agree that it's a very bad, um, template for management, but I also maintain that anyone under the age of 35 would look at that and go, well, what an arse. They're not going to look at that and go, oh, maybe I should be more, more, more dominant
[28:34] Leanne Elliott: I don't know. Love the manosphere, Andrew Tate, the rise of, of this type of more toxic masculinity on social media. I don't think it is bound to an older age group anymore
[28:46] Al Elliott: Maybe. Yeah. Well, in that case, that might change my, change my score. So maybe I'm going to give this an F
[28:53] Leanne Elliott: F. Hard F
[28:54] Al Elliott: Hard F. Oh dear. Okay. Well, there you go. We look forward to your letters. Lee, we've not chosen an odd number yet