Corporate life is often framed as a strictly serious space, but between the endless acronyms and high-stakes meetings, there’s a surprising amount of light to be found. If you’re a fan of The Office, you know exactly the vibe I mean. In this post, I’m sharing a few favorite “did that just happen?” moments from my career in tech. These stories are a reminder that even when the world feels heavy or complex, humor can be a powerful source of relief as we navigate our professional lives.

We often talk about the strategy and growth required in a professional corporate career, but there’s also a lighter side to the experience…those quirky, unexpected moments that make the journey memorable. There have been so many times when I think to myself, did that actually just happen? In the spirit of not taking ourselves too seriously and to bring some levity at a time that feels heavy for everyone right now, I’m sharing some of the lighter highlights from my time in the corporate world.

Acronyms and Analogies Galore

My poor family. They’ve been subjected to so much corporate lingo over the years that they could probably decode a tech conversation in minutes. You know the jargon has officially invaded your brain when you start giving your spouse an AR (Action Required) or asking your kids if the “juice is worth the squeeze.” (Let’s unpack that… are we at the right altitude for this conversation?)

At Microsoft, we live by the RoB (Rhythm of Business). We don’t just have meetings; we also have “wallows”…which sounds like something a hippo does to stay cool, but is actually a deep-dive session with leadership to get to the bottom of a problem. Toss in some v-teams, QBRs, and PORs, and you’ve got a bowl of alphabet soup that keeps things interesting.

I once worked with a colleague who actually turned our corporate lingo into a sport; he would deliberately make up his own acronyms and tuck them into presentations just to see if anyone noticed (or dared to ask for a definition!). It was his own version of corporate “I Spy.”

Earnings, Strategy, and a Side of Fries

Before conference call tech was sophisticated enough to “Mute All” by default, we lived in the Wild West of unpredictable background noise.

I was once in a high-stakes senior leadership meeting. Our CEO and executive staff were recapping earnings and setting global priorities. It was serious and focused until a voice boomed over the line. Was it a question about market share? A pivot in strategy?

Nope. It was a colleague in a drive-thru, loud and clear, ordering a juicy cheeseburger. He was just about to add a side of fries when the President politely intervened: “Could everyone please go on mute…especially the person ordering a burger?” Oops.

The Great Krispy Kreme Heist

Back when I worked at Intel, we’d frequently fly from Oregon to the headquarters in Santa Clara. At the time, California had something we didn’t: Krispy Kreme. On one trip, we made a dash to grab some fresh baked donuts to take home and my friend decided to purchase THREE dozen glazed donuts, stowing them carefully in the overhead bin of the plane.

What we didn’t account for was the physics of scent. Within minutes, the aroma of warm sugar filled the entire aircraft. As we prepared for takeoff, the pilot’s voice crackled over the intercom: ‘To the passenger who brought the Krispy Kremes on board… please bring them up for proper disposal.’ Everyone on the plane laughed. He was just saying what everyone was thinking: “I want one!”

The “High-Quality” Lead

After months of building a new demand generation program to provide better leads for sales, we were all systems go. We briefed the field that the “junk leads” were a thing of the past.

As with any new process, there are typically surprises when you go live. One of our sharpest sales reps in California couldn’t resist sharing the very first “quality lead” that hit his inbox: a form submission from a “Mr. Poopy Pants.”

Doh! After the initial ‘are you kidding me?’ face-palm moment, we tracked down the bug that let Mr. Pants slip through our filters. It was a classic lesson in setting expectations: no matter how much you test in your environment, there will always be kinks to iron out ‘in the wild.’ Fortunately, the team had a great sense of humor about it, and Mr. Poopy Pants became the unofficial mascot for our elevated Quality Assurance process.

I have a treasure trove of these kinds of stories, and thankfully, I’m still making plenty of space to collect more funny moments in this chapter of my career. While the corporate landscape is fast-paced and complex, it’s these human, ridiculous moments that keep us grounded. Whether you’re decoding acronyms or filtering out ‘Mr. Poopy Pants,’ remember to save a little room for humor in your own career…it’s often the best way to enjoy the ride.

What’s the funniest ‘did that just happen?’ moment you’ve experienced at work? Drop them in the comments below.

Thanks for reading and sharing. xx