We’ve seen a lot of memorable communication moments in 2025.

The good, the bad, and the ‘What were they thinking?!’

Below you’ll find a collection of examples from 2025 that showcase how quickly poor communication affects your relationships — and your reputation.

12. Putting the “Ass” in Astronaut

The “GRLPWR” trip to space that made us all cringe.

Where do I start?

Sally Ride was probably turning over in her grave when she saw the latest group of space tourists — including Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez (who would become Mrs. Jeff Bezos later this year) — claiming to be astronauts.

These women are astronauts:

Instead of promoting women in STEM, or women as thinking humans, this Blue Origin PR stunt focused on the “glam” rituals that would be required for the all-female Blue Origin passengers to go to space.

Given the current state of the world, no one needed to see this crew hawking space travel for rich people — and hearing Katy Perry say they were going to put the “ass” in astronaut was not the feminist statement she thought it was.

Wendy’s summed up the way a lot of people were feeling when it was announced Perry had returned to Earth after the history-making 11-minute journey:

11. Don’t take the (Click)bait

Sexism was alive and well in 2025 — and sadly on display in major publications.

In the UK, The Times told women not to take a promotion, lest they make their husbands “sad.” The article also suggested that not only will a woman's success affect her husband's mental health, it may also lead him to "substance use."

Not to be left out, The New York Times took their stab at women as they pondered if “women ruined the workforce.”

That was a headline they regretted – and changed twice.

But the third time was not a charm – and we’re still guessing who ruined the workplace (or are we?).

But Santa was disappointed to see that sexist attitudes are still tolerated – and elevated — even at a “Paper of Record.”

10. Timing is Everything

The OBR Budget Announcement…

After months of speculation, the UK Budget was finally announced in November.

Unfortunately, the Office for Budget Responsibility inadvertently published details too early — 40 minutes before Chancellor Rachel Reeves began her Budget speech in the House of Commons.

The “technical error” meant that market-sensitive details were public knowledge before the formal announcement had been made in Parliament.

That mistake affected the markets — and led to the OBR chairman’s resignation.

9. Anyone Writing, Publishing and Sharing Fake News

Not long after the cameras captured the (former) Astronomer CEO and Head of HR snuggling at a Coldplay concert, the internet was full of posts from the company, the CEO, and his wife.

But though you could find them all over instagram, twitter and LinkedIn, that didn’t make them true.

And these fake stories spread faster than Covid, and served as a reminder how easy it is to create — and spread — false stories.

With the growing capabilities of AI, we can expect more of this next year.

8. Reading the Signal(s)

Double check that distribution list…

What is more shocking – that a journalist from The Atlantic accidentally got included in a group chat with senior US national security advisors – OR that one of those advisors (Michael Waltz) used emojis like this in a discussion about a military strike?!

I don’t know – but it all gets you on the Naughty List.

When you're communicating, details matter.

That includes double (and even triple!) checking who’s in the conversation before hitting send.

And thinking twice about the words (and emojis) that you use to communicate.

7. Mmm Mmm…Not Good

An executive at Campbell’s made some shocking comments about the company’s products (“shit for poor people” was one of the gems captured on tape).

Though he was fired for his comments, what really disappointed me was Campbell’s response to the scandal.

Answering the hard questions on their website

Instead of highlighting the value they provide – or focusing on their customers or employees — they stressed that the disparaged executive worked in IT.

It seemed to suggest it was NBD — as he didn’t actually work in the kitchen.

As someone who enjoyed Campbell’s tomato soup on many a snow day, I was disappointed by their tone deaf statement that missed the point — and an opportunity.

6. You’re Out, River Cats

In April, the Sacramento River Cats wanted to embrace their city’s role in the gold rush by renaming the AAA baseball team the “Sacramento Gold Diggers.”

They claimed they were “inspired by the regional history of the California Gold Rush” – but they chose to announce the name change not with images of people mining for precious metals in the 1880s, but instead with young women who had old men on their arms and cartoon dollar signs in their eyes.

You can guess what happened next.

The team apologized and scrapped the name change – but not after sacrificing a lot of money (and their reputation).

5. Lay off the Horrible Layoff Communication …

Telling someone they have lost their job is never easy. But this year, layoff communication went from weird… to worse.

It started in January when Stripe informed employees they were losing their jobs via email – with the image of cartoon duck attached.

Why was this duck image attached to a layoff email?!

In March, Jack Dorsey, co-founder and CEO of Block, announced he had fired 931 workers in a strangely written email that was written in all-lowercase letters.

Why?

Then in April, thousands of employees at the US Department of Health and Human Services found out they no longer had a job when they turned up to the office and discovered their building access badges no longer worked.

And then in September, ANZ, one of Australia's largest banks, apologized to staff who found out they had been fired through an automated email asking them to hand back their laptops.

4. Been Caught Cheatin’

After an Air India plane crash took 242 lives on June 12, CEO Campbell Wilson shared a recorded statement on behalf of the airline.

Social media users were quick to comment on Wilson’s cold delivery and lack of empathy.

But soon after that, another critique emerged: Much of Mr. Wilson's speech was identical to one given five months earlier by Robert Isom, the chief executive of American Airlines, after a deadly crash in Washington.

A crisis like this calls for leadership, empathy, and authentic connection — and copying someone else's homework isn't the way to do that.

Side-by-side comparison of statements from American Airlines and Air India (Credit: Karthik Srinivasan)

3. Zuckerberg tries to be masculine

"It means we're going to catch less bad stuff."

Those are the words that stood out to me as Mark Zuckerberg announced major changes to Meta's content moderation policies.

I know, I’ll wear a gold chain! That’s what Mr. T wore — and he was super maculine!

Given that Meta ignored the damage their platforms do to teenagers, one can only speculate what kind of "bad stuff" their new policies might fail to catch.

Zuckerberg and his crew may not care about fact-checking, but his blatant disregard for human decency continues to keep him on Santa’s Naughty List.

It was no surprise that shortly after this announcement, he announced they needed more “masculine energy” and cut 3600 jobs.

2. Caught in a Bad Romance

The bromance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk fizzled – or rather, blew up – earlier this year in a series of explosive tweets.

In May 2025, Elon Musk announced he was stepping down from his government role as a special government employee leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Following his exit, Musk and Trump had a war of words online that screamed for an adult to enter the room.

Musk seemed to have a change of heart a week later, but if Jerry Springer was still alive, I’d expect he’d have these two on for Sweeps Week.

But Trump is buddies with the McMahon family, so perhaps he and Elon will take this into the ring in 2026.

The Trump White House & Trump Enablers

We all know Trump says outlandish things. But the White House?!?

The White House is not just a building where the US President resides.

It is a symbol of America, whose history dates back to George Washington.

But this year, the White House halls — and website — became another destination for this administration’s pettiness.

First, it was the addition of a “Joe Biden autopen” photograph in the “Presidential Walk of Fame” at the White House.

Images in the White House Walk of Fame that showcases images of past presidents

Then it was the White House website.

Along with details of rebuilding the White House after The War of 1812, and the additions of the West Wing and Oval Office, you will also find more recent “major events” included in the White House timeline.

These include the “Bill Clinton Scandal” of 1998, the “Muslim Brotherhood Visit” in 2012”, and when “Cocaine (was) Discovered” in 2023 (accompanied by a photo and allegation at former President Biden’s son, Hunter).

The White House’s “Walk of Fame” also added plaques in November 2025, “dedicated by President Donald J. Trump as a tribute to past Presidents, good, bad, and somewhere in the middle.”

Apparently some of the descriptions on these plaques were written by Trump himself — which is believable given the word choices and unnecessary use of capitalization.

He introduces his predecessor Biden thusly:

“Sleepy Joe Biden was, by far, the worst President in American History.”

News media also reported that these plaques include claims that are false.

You read that right — false claims and petty scores are being settled in the halls of the White House.

Politicians do not have to like each other, but there has to be some level of decorum that we can expect from government agencies and communication.

Right?

When I first saw that image of the auto pen in place of President Biden, I thought, “Someone gave the instruction, and someone had to organize the photograph, and frame it, and hang it. How many people were involved in this process — and how many objected?”

This isn’t about politics – it’s about being adults.

And if you’re running a government, or a business, or a newspaper, you should be an adult — and act like one.

Leaders model the behaviour that is expected or tolerated — and we should all expect more than this.

Santa and I don’t want to see the next president playing these reindeer games — or share stories next year about people finding out they’ve lost their job when their company Copilot account alerts them.

We can — and should — communicate better than this.

_________________________________________

Beth Collier loves writing, pop culture, and people who treat others with kindness and respect.

She also loves helping companies, leaders, and teams improve their communication (and creativity and leadership) through consulting, coaching, and workshops.

Her clients benefit from Beth’s global corporate experience, Midwestern practicality and enthusiasm, and an endless supply of pop culture references.

To find out how Beth can help you become a more confident, creative, and compelling leader – or improve communication in your company – visit www.beth-collier.com or drop her a line at beth@beth-collier.com

__________________________________________

Santa's Naughty List 2025