Should employees put away their phones and other devices during meetings? JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has made his position clear, calling the habit of checking emails and notifications disrespectful. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, however, sees things differently — at least when it comes to large meetings. The IBM chief says the size and purpose of a meeting should determine whether using a device is acceptable. While Arvind Krishna agrees that people should pay attention during small, face-to-face meetings, he believes large gatherings are often more about sharing information than holding a real discussion.
IBM CEO Arvind Krishna draws a line between small and large meetings
Arvind Krishna shared his views during an interview with CNN in October 2025, explaining why he does not believe all meetings should follow the same rules on device use. “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.His comments offer a different view from Jamie Dimon, who has repeatedly criticised employees for checking devices during meetings.However, Krishna made it clear that he expects people to stay focused during smaller meetings. “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?’”
Jamie Dimon has repeatedly called device use in meetings ‘disrespectful’
Meanwhile, Jamie Dimon has long spoken about his frustration with distracted employees. At Fortune’s Most Powerful Women summit in 2025, he said he expects people in meetings to give their full attention.“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 said. “It’s disrespectful.”The JPMorgan CEO also raised the issue in his 2025 annual letter to shareholders, saying employees should avoid unnecessary meetings and make the ones they attend more productive.“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.”
