skin in the game
Risk sharing commitment
Skin in the game means having a personal stake in an outcome—usually financial risk, but also reputation or effort.
The phrase emphasizes that someone sharing in potential losses will act more carefully than someone risking nothing: Investors want founders to have skin in the game.
It contrasts with those who give advice or make decisions without facing consequences themselves.
- sharePortion given out
- riskPossibility of harm
- stakeSharpened post or share
- investmentDeploying capital for returns
- commitmentFirm pledge to act
portion · involvement · accountability · alignment · percentage · exposure · answerability · bailout · liability · participation · put up or shut up · ownership · culpability · vested · upside · onus · asymmetry · equity
- office jargonsynergy, circle back, touch base, deep dive, action item
- risk phrasestake a chance, take a gamble, risk it all, go for broke, roll the dice
- trading slangbull, short, long, dip, pump
- Vested Interestsstake, vested interest, conflict of interest, self-interest, stakeholder
- accountabilityaccountability, responsibility, accountable, take responsibility, answerability
- perseverancepersist, never give up, tenacity, hang in there, endurance
skin in the gamenothing to lose
playing with house money · ivory tower · spectator · backseat driver · talking head
skin in the gamedisengagement
Withdrawal from involvement
uninvolved · detachment · noncommittal · fence-sitting · indifference
skin in the gameunaccountable
Not required to justify
cheap talk · lip service · empty promises · plausible deniability · passing the buck
game, skin, skinny, games, gaming, skins, skinned, gamer, skinning