IBM CEO Arvind Krishna pushes back on Jamie Dimon's ban on devices in meetings

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna is pushing back on JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon's hardline approach to device use in meetings, arguing that a blanket ban on technology would be out of step with the culture of a tech company.

In an October 2025 interview with CNN, Krishna said it would be "weird" to tell employees not to use their devices, particularly in large gatherings where technology can serve as a useful tool rather than a distraction. He drew a clear distinction between small working sessions and larger informational meetings.

"I distinguish between one-to-10-person meetings and very large meetings. If it's a very large meeting, I'm sorry. It's not really a meeting. It's a communication vehicle. You're just informing people," Krishna said.

The 64-year-old CEO said he takes a much stricter view of behavior in smaller settings. "If it's a small meeting, I would really frown upon if somebody is sitting opposite my desk and lost in their phone," he said. "I would tell them: 'Why don't you come back when you have time?'"

Krishna's comments come in response to Dimon, who has been vocal about his frustration with distracted meeting attendees. At Fortune's Most Powerful Women summit in fall 2025, Dimon said he expects full attention from everyone in the room.

"If you have an iPad in front of me and it looks like you're reading your email or getting notifications, I tell you to close the damn thing," Dimon told Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell. "It's disrespectful."

Dimon's disdain for distracted meetings is not new. In his annual letter to shareholders released in spring 2025, he mentioned the word "meetings" six times, urging employees to schedule them only when necessary and to make them count.

"I see people in meetings all the time who are getting notifications and personal texts or who are reading emails," Dimon wrote. "This has to stop. It's disrespectful. It wastes time."

His frustration extends beyond small gatherings. During a conversation at Stanford University in March 2025, Dimon recalled joining a Zoom meeting where attention was clearly divided. "There were 12 people in the room and four people on the screen and all four people on the screen were on their phone," he recalled.

Dimon's stance on meeting etiquette aligns with his aggressive return-to-office mandate. Most JPMorgan employees are now required to work in the office five days a week, a policy tied in part to the company's real-estate investments. In late 2025, JPMorgan opened its new $3 billion global headquarters in Manhattan, a 60-story skyscraper featuring 19 restaurants, a company store, and a gym.

The debate over device use in meetings reflects a broader workplace tension as companies navigate hybrid work norms. With AI assistants now capable of generating post-meeting summaries, multitasking has become even easier, according to Gary Rich, founder of executive coaching firm Rich Leadership.

"Are manners 'old fashioned?' Is listening to what's happening in a meeting 'old school?'" Rich told Fortune. "When people are multitasking during a meeting, the distraction creates a ripple effect—the speaker feels disrespected, other attendees lose motivation, and the meeting becomes less productive."

Rich noted that practicing good meeting etiquette can be an effective way to earn recognition, show genuine commitment, and build credibility with colleagues and superiors.

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Delaney Sawyer

Society Reporter

Delaney Sawyer covers public affairs, politics, business, culture and daily news for Core Memo. The role focuses on verification, context, and clear explanations for readers.

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