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JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon Only Checks His Phone For One Type of Message—And It's Not From You

MarketDash Editorial Team
22 days ago
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon keeps his phone on silent and away from his desk during work hours, only allowing notifications from his kids. He views constant device checking as disrespectful and distracting, pointing to research showing Americans spend 2.5 hours daily on non-work digital content. Not everyone agrees—IBM's CEO says checking messages in large meetings is perfectly fine.

If you're trying to reach JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon by text during business hours, you'd better hope you gave birth to him—because those are the only texts he's reading.

The Family-Only Notification Policy

In a conversation with CNN's Erin Burnett last week, Dimon explained his unusually strict approach to phone management. "I don't have it [phone] in front of me all the time. If you send me a text during the day, I probably do not read it," he said. "I don't have notifications; the only notifications I get [are] from my kids, that's it. When they text me, I get that."

The system extends to phone calls too. "People don't call me on the phone that much, they tend to call my office," Dimon explained. "When I'm walking around and going to meetings, I don't have it on me, it's in my office. If you need me and it's important, call my office, and they'll come get me."

It's a throwback approach that sounds almost quaint in 2025—like having a secretary take messages while you're away from your desk. Which is essentially what Dimon does.

Why Dimon Thinks Your Phone Habit Is a Problem

This isn't just personal preference. At Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit last month, Dimon called device use in meetings "disrespectful" and said he pre-reads materials so he isn't distracted during discussions.

The data backs up his concerns about constant connectivity. A study from Screen Education last summer estimated that the average American employee burns 2.5 hours each workday accessing digital content unrelated to their job. That's nearly a third of an eight-hour workday spent scrolling through content that has nothing to do with work.

Another survey from Reviews.org in 2023 found Americans check their phones an average of 144 times a day. That's roughly every six to seven minutes during waking hours.

The Return-to-Office Hard Liner

Dimon's phone philosophy fits his broader management style. Earlier this year, leaked audio caught him criticizing work-from-home arrangements and phone use in meetings after JPMorgan employees complained about returning to the office five days a week. He went so far as to call out managers who were "slack[ing] off" by abusing remote work privileges, arguing that distractions kill both creativity and efficiency.

Not Everyone's Convinced

But Dimon's old-school approach isn't universally shared among corporate leaders. IBM (IBM) CEO Arvind Krishna recently told Fortune that checking messages during large meetings is perfectly acceptable. His reasoning? Those big gatherings function more as "communication vehicles" than traditional working meetings where everyone needs full attention.

It's an interesting counterpoint—the idea that not all meetings deserve the same level of focus, and that multitasking might actually be appropriate in certain corporate settings.

Market data indicates that JPM has shown positive price trends across all timeframes, suggesting investors aren't concerned about whether their CEO is checking his texts.

Back to News

JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon Only Checks His Phone For One Type of Message—And It's Not From You

MarketDash Editorial Team
22 days ago
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon keeps his phone on silent and away from his desk during work hours, only allowing notifications from his kids. He views constant device checking as disrespectful and distracting, pointing to research showing Americans spend 2.5 hours daily on non-work digital content. Not everyone agrees—IBM's CEO says checking messages in large meetings is perfectly fine.

If you're trying to reach JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon by text during business hours, you'd better hope you gave birth to him—because those are the only texts he's reading.

The Family-Only Notification Policy

In a conversation with CNN's Erin Burnett last week, Dimon explained his unusually strict approach to phone management. "I don't have it [phone] in front of me all the time. If you send me a text during the day, I probably do not read it," he said. "I don't have notifications; the only notifications I get [are] from my kids, that's it. When they text me, I get that."

The system extends to phone calls too. "People don't call me on the phone that much, they tend to call my office," Dimon explained. "When I'm walking around and going to meetings, I don't have it on me, it's in my office. If you need me and it's important, call my office, and they'll come get me."

It's a throwback approach that sounds almost quaint in 2025—like having a secretary take messages while you're away from your desk. Which is essentially what Dimon does.

Why Dimon Thinks Your Phone Habit Is a Problem

This isn't just personal preference. At Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit last month, Dimon called device use in meetings "disrespectful" and said he pre-reads materials so he isn't distracted during discussions.

The data backs up his concerns about constant connectivity. A study from Screen Education last summer estimated that the average American employee burns 2.5 hours each workday accessing digital content unrelated to their job. That's nearly a third of an eight-hour workday spent scrolling through content that has nothing to do with work.

Another survey from Reviews.org in 2023 found Americans check their phones an average of 144 times a day. That's roughly every six to seven minutes during waking hours.

The Return-to-Office Hard Liner

Dimon's phone philosophy fits his broader management style. Earlier this year, leaked audio caught him criticizing work-from-home arrangements and phone use in meetings after JPMorgan employees complained about returning to the office five days a week. He went so far as to call out managers who were "slack[ing] off" by abusing remote work privileges, arguing that distractions kill both creativity and efficiency.

Not Everyone's Convinced

But Dimon's old-school approach isn't universally shared among corporate leaders. IBM (IBM) CEO Arvind Krishna recently told Fortune that checking messages during large meetings is perfectly acceptable. His reasoning? Those big gatherings function more as "communication vehicles" than traditional working meetings where everyone needs full attention.

It's an interesting counterpoint—the idea that not all meetings deserve the same level of focus, and that multitasking might actually be appropriate in certain corporate settings.

Market data indicates that JPM has shown positive price trends across all timeframes, suggesting investors aren't concerned about whether their CEO is checking his texts.