Jamie Dimon’s outspoken leadership style and colorful language made headlines after a heated February town hall where he slammed remote work. Now, the CEO is expressing regret for some of his fiery remarks.
In a Monday CNBC interview from JPMorgan’s global leveraged finance conference in Miami, Dimon acknowledged his missteps after an audio recording—leaked to Barron’s —caught the CEO using several expletives.
“I should never curse, ever,” he told CNBC. “I shouldn’t get angry and stuff like that.”
The leaked recording captured Dimon expressing frustration over workplace attendance pushback, complaining that there was “not a god-d– person” he could reach on Fridays and a lack of focus from employees during “f–ing Zoom” meetings. He also scoffed at a petition signed by more than 1,700 employees protesting the in-office mandate.
Despite acknowledging the impropriety of his profanity-laden tirade to CNBC, Dimon stood firm on the bank’s five-days-in-office policy, set to take effect on March 3.
Dimon added that while he understands some employees prefer remote work, the decision ultimately rests with the company, which must prioritize what best serves its business and clients.
“They can get a job—I’m not being mean—they can get a job elsewhere. I totally understand that it may make total sense for them to do that,” he said.
Several JPMorgan employees pushed back on Dimon’s edict during the town hall and in its aftermath. Nicholas Welch, a tech ops analyst, claimed senior managers threatened his job after he suggested RTO policies be left to the discretion of individual team managers—a proposal Dimon dismissed. A JPMorgan Chase spokesman told Fortune that Welch remained in good standing with the bank.
Dimon further addressed speculation that Welch had faced repercussions for his inquiry, telling CNBC, “I have never, ever fired anyone because they asked a question like that.”
The CEO also addressed his recent criticism of the bank’s DEI-related programs in which he revealed that he was never a “firm believer” in bias training. “I saw how we were spending money on some of this stupid s—, and it really pissed me off,” Dimon said in a recent audio recording obtained by Bloomberg, adding, “I’m just gonna cancel them. I don’t like wasted money in bureaucracy.”
Clarifying his remarks to CNBC, he said some DEI programs were ineffective, overly abundant, or relied too heavily on outside consultants. He emphasized the need for consolidating certain programs but also reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to diversity efforts.
“We’re still going to reach out to the black, Hispanic, LGBT, veteran, disabled communities. We’re not changing that,” he said.