Are there any companies that prohibit the use of PowerPoint?
Yes, several prominent companies and leaders have prohibited or discouraged the use of PowerPoint, opting instead for alternative methods of communication. Here are some notable examples:
- Amazon
Jeff Bezos banned PowerPoint in Amazon's executive meetings as early as 2004. Instead, employees are required to write six-page narrative memos, which are read silently at the beginning of meetings before discussion. Bezos believes this approach promotes clearer thinking and better decision-making by encouraging detailed, well-structured writing over bullet-pointed slides
Inc.com+1 - Tesla
Elon Musk has been vocal about his disdain for PowerPoint. He reportedly told Tesla employees to leave meetings that were unproductive or overly reliant on slide presentations. Musk prefers direct, concise communication and has emphasized the importance of clear thinking over flashy presentations
Inc.com - Apple
Steve Jobs was known for his aversion to PowerPoint. He believed that effective communication required more than just slides and often prohibited their use in meetings. Jobs emphasized the importance of storytelling and direct engagement over slide-based presentations
anti-powerpoint-party.com - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
Former CEO Andrew Witty of GSK discouraged the use of PowerPoint within the company. He advocated for "real conversations" instead, aiming to foster more meaningful and direct communication among employees
anti-powerpoint-party.com - Swiss Anti-PowerPoint Party
While not a corporation, the Anti-PowerPoint Party in Switzerland is a political entity dedicated to decreasing the professional use of Microsoft PowerPoint and other forms of presentation software. The party claims that such presentations cause national-economic damage and lower the quality of communication in most cases
These examples highlight a growing trend among some leaders and organizations to move away from traditional slide-based presentations in favor of more direct and thoughtful communication methods.
If you're interested in exploring alternatives to PowerPoint or learning more about these approaches, feel free to ask!
Why is it prohibited? Wouldn't it be better to just restrict how it is used?
The prohibition of PowerPoint in some companies is usually not about the tool itself, but about the problems it introduces when overused or misused. Leaders like Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk see it as a symbol of shallow thinking rather than a neutral communication tool. Here’s why full prohibition sometimes seems more effective than just restricting usage:
- Encourages Deeper Thinking
Problem with slides: Bullet points often oversimplify complex ideas. People can hide weak reasoning behind flashy visuals.
Solution: Amazon’s six-page narrative memos force employees to fully explain reasoning, context, and implications.
Effect: Writing demands clarity and logic; meetings are more about substance than style. - Reduces Noise and Distraction
Problem with slides: Animations, charts, and graphics can distract from the actual content. People might spend more time “designing slides” than thinking.
Effect: Prohibiting slides removes the temptation to focus on aesthetics over arguments. - Improves Meeting Quality
Problem with slides: Slides can turn meetings into passive presentations where participants just watch and click “Next.”
Solution: Reading memos or having discussion-driven meetings encourages engagement and debate. - Cultural Impact
A strict prohibition sets a clear signal about the company’s priorities: clarity, depth, and efficiency over superficial communication.
Simply restricting usage might lead to loopholes—people still using slides for convenience without adopting better thinking habits. - Tool Misalignment
Some companies operate in fast-moving, high-stakes environments (like Tesla or Amazon). Quick, critical thinking is more valuable than formatted slides.
💡 Key idea: The ban isn’t anti-PowerPoint—it’s pro-thinking. The goal is to make people explain, argue, and justify ideas clearly rather than rely on a slide deck to carry the message.
If you want, I can make a side-by-side comparison showing restricted use vs. full prohibition and why prohibition sometimes works better. It’s quite eye-opening. Do you want me to do that?
PowerPoint's outline function is meant to encourage deeper thinking, so why not make outline review mandatory?
You’re absolutely right—PowerPoint’s Outline View can indeed encourage more structured thinking because it forces you to organize ideas hierarchically rather than rely on flashy visuals. In theory, making an outline review mandatory could partially address the issues leaders like Bezos or Musk worry about. But in practice, there are several reasons companies sometimes prefer prohibition over “outline enforcement”:
- Compliance ≠ Deep Thinking
Problem: Even if you mandate outline review, people might fill in the outline mechanically without critically evaluating assumptions or reasoning.
Effect: You still get a slide deck that looks “well-structured” but may lack substance—people think they’re doing deep thinking because the outline exists. - Superficial Engagement
Slides are still presentation-driven, not discussion-driven. People might spend hours perfecting headings and bullets rather than reasoning through the logic or debating alternatives. - Cognitive Load
Outlines are linear and hierarchical, but many ideas (especially in strategy or R&D) are non-linear and interconnected. A memo or narrative can naturally handle multiple threads and nuances, while an outline may constrain thinking. - Behavioral Habit
Leaders who ban slides aim to change communication habits, not just “fix PowerPoint usage.”
Mandatory outline reviews might become a box-ticking exercise, whereas forcing written narratives changes how people think, organize, and explain ideas fundamentally. - Discussion Quality
Narrative memos are read silently first, which ensures everyone starts the discussion from a shared, fully-formed understanding.
Outlines or slides are often skimmed in real time, so some participants may miss context or jump to assumptions prematurely.
💡 Bottom line: Outline reviews are helpful, but they don’t fully solve the problems of superficial reasoning, passive presentation, and poor discussion quality. Leaders like Bezos see a full narrative approach as a cleaner, more reliable way to enforce deep thinking.
If you want, I can make a visual comparison showing how Outline Review vs. Narrative Memo affects thinking, discussion, and decision-making—it’s surprisingly illustrative. Do you want me to do that?
yes
Great! Let’s break this down into a visual comparison between PowerPoint Outline Review and a Narrative Memo approach, showing how each affects thinking, discussion, and decision-making. I’ll describe it in a structured diagram format you could use in a slide or document.
Comparison Diagram: Outline Review vs. Narrative Memo
+----------------------+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+
| Feature / Aspect | Outline Review (PowerPoint) | Narrative Memo (Amazon style)|
+----------------------+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+
| Thinking Depth | Medium: organizes points, | High: requires full, coherent|
| | but may skip underlying | reasoning, context, evidence |
| | assumptions. | |
+----------------------+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+
| Engagement | Low to Medium: presenter | High: everyone reads memo |
| | drives discussion; others | silently first, discussion |
| | may skim slides. | is more interactive. |
+----------------------+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+
| Communication Clarity| Medium: headings guide | High: complete sentences & |
| | flow, but connections may | narrative make logic explicit|
| | be implied. | |
+----------------------+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+
| Decision Quality | Medium: may miss nuances, | High: better understanding |
| | some assumptions hidden. | of pros/cons & context. |
+----------------------+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+
| Cognitive Load | Low to Medium: easier to | Medium: requires reading |
| | scan, but may oversimplify. | and comprehension upfront. |
+----------------------+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+
| Habit Change | Low: minor improvement; | High: enforces culture of |
| | old slide habits persist. | deep thinking & writing. |
+----------------------+-------------------------------+-----------------------------+
Key Takeaways
Outline Review is better than just slides because it organizes ideas, but it doesn’t force full reasoning.
Narrative Memos ensure everyone thinks through the problem before discussion and prevents superficial understanding.
Cultural shift: banning slides encourages a deep-thinking mindset, whereas outline review alone can become a formality.
If you want, I can also draw this as a simple visual diagram with arrows showing “thinking → discussion → decision” for each method. It would be ready for a slide or report. Do you want me to do that?
yes
