Corporate jargon is a red flag, not intelligence: Honasa co-founder Varun Alagh

In corporate boardrooms across India, long-winded explanations packed with buzzwords are often mistaken for insight. But according to Varun Alagh, co-founder of Honasa Consumer Limited, this habit may be doing more harm than good.

In a recent LinkedIn post that has triggered widespread discussion among professionals, Alagh called out what he described as a growing tendency in workplaces to hide weak thinking behind polished language. He revealed that during internal meetings, he often pauses discussions to ask his teams to explain their ideas simply, sometimes even requesting them to switch to Hindi to cut through unnecessary complexity.

Alagh said this behaviour stems from what he terms the “Twaddle Tendency”, where a lack of clarity leads people to overcompensate with jargon-heavy explanations and elaborate storytelling. While such communication may sound sophisticated, he warned that it often signals shallow understanding rather than deep insight.

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According to Alagh, the real danger emerges when this style of communication is rewarded. Once verbose explanations go unchallenged, unclear ideas gain legitimacy, allowing weak strategies to pass through decision-making processes. The consequences, he noted, usually surface later in the form of poor execution, delayed outcomes, or flawed business calls.

To counter this, Alagh advocated for a culture that prioritises clarity over complexity. He stressed that the ability to explain an idea briefly and plainly should be valued across organisations, from hiring decisions to leadership meetings. Interviews, he said, should filter for candidates who can simplify complex concepts, while meetings should encourage direct answers rather than layered corporate language.

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He also pointed to presentations as a key problem area, arguing that substance, data and reasoning matter far more than visual theatrics, jargon, or filler slides. “If you can’t explain it simply, you probably don’t understand it well enough,” he wrote.

At a time when businesses are operating at greater speed and under higher pressure, Alagh’s remarks have struck a chord with professionals online, many of whom echoed his view that clear communication is no longer a soft skill, but a critical leadership requirement.