The Hot Seat — English Brew
English Brew  ·  Season 1  ·  Episode 4
Business English · Intermediate–Upper Intermediate

The Hot Seat:
Why 1 in 9 CEOs
Lost Their Job Last Year

A record number of top executives are clearing out their corner offices. We use the story to master five business English expressions you'll actually need.

Hosts Luna & Mimyo
Level B2 – C1
Source Morning Brew, Feb 17 2026
Duration ~10 min

A Record Wave of CEO Departures

The corner office has always been a symbol of power and stability. But according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of 1,500 major public companies, that stability is cracking. In 2025, roughly one in nine CEOs was replaced — the highest rate of leadership turnover since the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

And 2026 is already picking up where last year left off. Companies with a combined market value of $2.2 trillion have already swapped out their top leaders just weeks into the new year, including household names like Walmart, Disney, Lululemon, and PayPal.

1 in 9 CEOs replaced among top companies in 2025
$2.2T Combined value of companies with new CEOs in early 2026
54 Average age of incoming CEOs — younger than before
80% Of new CEOs last year were first-timers

So why now? Companies have cited what Morning Brew called "a potpourri of reasons" — artificial intelligence disrupting entire industries, trade tariffs reshuffling global supply chains, and a general climate of economic and geopolitical uncertainty. The solution many boards have landed on: bring in someone younger, fresher, and willing to take risks the old guard wouldn't.

"They're turning to younger and greener execs to fix their problems — more than 80% of last year's new CEOs were first-timers."

It's a bold bet. Handing the wheel of a trillion-dollar company to someone who has never run one before is either visionary or reckless, depending on who you ask. Either way, the trend is reshaping what leadership looks like at the top of the business world.


Maya & Alex at the Office Coffee Station

In this episode, we eavesdrop on Maya and Alex — two colleagues processing the news over their morning coffee — and pull out the vocabulary that makes the conversation sound natural and real.

☕ Scene — Tuesday morning · Office kitchen
Maya Alex, did you see the news? Apparently one in nine CEOs got replaced last year. The turnover at the top is absolutely insane right now.
Alex I heard. The whole c-suite feels like a revolving door these days — here today, gone tomorrow.
Maya And apparently they're replacing them with younger, greener executives. Like, people with way less experience running a massive company.
Alex I mean, companies want fresh blood. The old guard tried a potpourri of strategies and nothing stuck, so why not take a chance?
Maya I guess. But our CEO has been here fifteen years. You don't think he's about to put in his two weeks, do you?
Alex After that last earnings call? I wouldn't be shocked. The board looked like they'd rather be anywhere else.
Maya Great. So I should probably update my resume... just in case the turnover reaches our floor.
Alex Always a good idea. In this climate, no corner office is safe.

5 Expressions Worth Owning

These five expressions appear naturally in business news, office conversations, and job interviews. Learn them here — use them everywhere.

01 · Turnover

The rate at which people leave a group or organization and are replaced by others. High turnover = many people leaving. Low turnover = people staying long-term. Used in business, HR, and even casual conversation.

Business "The hospitality sector has historically struggled with high employee turnover."

Casual "Our friend group has crazy turnover — someone new shows up every month."

02 · C-Suite

The collective term for a company's most senior executives — those whose titles begin with "Chief": CEO (Executive), CFO (Financial), COO (Operating), CMO (Marketing), and so on. The "suite" suggests they occupy the same executive floor.

Business "The company announced a major c-suite restructuring ahead of its IPO."

Casual "She went from intern to c-suite in ten years — total boss move."

03 · Greener

Less experienced. When someone is described as "green," it means they are new to something and still learning — like a young plant that hasn't fully grown yet. "Greener" is the comparative form: even less experienced than someone else.

Business "We cannot afford greener hires at this stage — the role requires at least eight years of experience."

Casual "He was so green on his first day, he accidentally emailed the entire company."

04 · Potpourri

A random, varied mixture of things. Originally a French word referring to a decorative bowl of dried flowers and herbs used to scent a room. In English, it evolved into an idiom for any eclectic mix. Morning Brew even named it their Word of the Day the same edition we featured it!

Business "The board cited a potpourri of concerns, from regulatory pressure to falling consumer confidence."

Casual "Dinner tonight was a potpourri of whatever was left in the fridge."

05 · Put in your two weeks

To formally resign from a job by giving two weeks' notice before your final day. In the US, it is standard practice to give an employer this advance warning so they can begin finding a replacement. "Putting in your two weeks" is the polite, professional way to quit.

Business "After twelve years at the firm, she put in her two weeks and accepted a senior role abroad."

Casual "I heard Jake finally put in his two weeks. Said his manager was impossible."


Test Your Business Knowledge

We know CEO stands for Chief Executive Officer.
What does CFO stand for?

  • A Chief Financial Officer
  • B Chief Federal Officer
  • C Chief Facilities Organizer

The CFO oversees all financial operations — budgeting, reporting, forecasting. If the company is bleeding money, the CFO is the one sweating the hardest.


English in the Real World

The reason we chose this story isn't just because it's current — it's because the language around it is everywhere. Whether you're reading a business article, sitting in a team meeting, listening to a podcast, or interviewing for a job, you will encounter these words. Turnover appears in almost every HR discussion. C-suite shows up in financial news daily. Putting in your two weeks is something any English speaker working in an international environment needs to understand.

The goal of English Brew is never to teach you textbook English. It's to close the gap between the English you studied and the English people actually use — in offices, in coffee shops, in headlines, and in conversations that matter.

"No corner office is safe." — Alex, in this episode. And maybe a useful reminder for all of us to keep learning.

Ready to hear it all come together? Listen to the full episode.

Listen Now →

take stock of :재고 조사하다외에 어떤 뜻이 있을까요? tangible, crushing weight | BBC Learning English

Syria: One year since Assad’s fall

12월 8일은 시리아의 독재자 바샤르 알아사드가 수도 다마스쿠스를 떠날수 밖에 없었던 날로부터 1년이 되는 날이었습니다. 아사드의 정권은 내전과 민주화를 요구하는 시위대에 대한 잔혹한 공격으로 특징됩니다.

아흐메드 알샤라가 이후 시리아이 대통령이 되었습니다.

알샤라는 과거 알카에다 전투원이었으며, 아사드를 권력에서 끌어내린 반군 조직을 이끈 인물입니다.

월요일 대국민 연설에서 그는 모든 시리아인을 위한 시리아를 세우겠다고 약속하며 이제 시리아는 억압과 폭력의 과거로부터 벗어났다고 말했습니다.

시리아 안팎에서 시리아 사람들은 알샤라 대통령에 대한 지지여부와 상관없이 아사드 정권 붕괴 1주년을 기념하기 위해 각지에서 이를 축하했습니다.

1. take stock of

carefully evacuate or review a situation

상황을 신중하게 평가하거나 점검하다

Taking stock of Sharaa’s rule in Syria, one year after the fall of Assad
아사드 축출 1년후, 시리아에서 알샤라의 통치를 평가하다

France 24
소매업자가 가게가 보유하고 있는 재고를 조사한다는 데에서 온 표현입니다. 

잠깐 멈추어 자신의 인생을 돌아본다든지, 현 상황을 점검한다는 의미로 쓰이고 있습니다.

When choosing a career, it’s a good idea to take stock of what’s important in life.

진로를 선택할때 인생에서 가장 중요한것이 무엇인지 차분히 점검해 보는것이 좋다.

After turning 40, he decided to take stock of his career and ask himself if he was truly happy.

40이 된 후, 그는 자신의 커리어를 점검하고 스스로에게 진정으로 행복한지 물어보기로 했다.

2. tangible

real and noticeable

실제적이고 분명하게 느껴지는, 눈에 보이는

Can Syria’s president turn wave of global goodwill into tangible results at home?
시리아 대통령은 전세계의 호의적인 여론을 국내에서 실질적인 성과로 바꿀 수 있을까?

The Guardian
실제로 만질수 있는, 실체가 있는, 분명한 이라는 뜻으로 abstract 과 대조되는 의미입니다. 

헤드라인에서 goodwill 은 tangible과 대비되는 단어로 사용되었죠.

The training programme showed tangible results in test scores.

그 교육 프로그램은 시험 점수에서 눈에 띄는 성과를 보여 주었다.

She prefers investing in real estate because she likes owning tangible assets rather than just stocks on a screen.

그녀는 화면 속 주식보다는 실체가 있는 재산을 소유하는것을 좋아하기 때문에 부동산 투자를 선호합니다.

3. crushing weight

a heavy feeling of pressure which makes life difficult

삶을 힘들게 만드는 심각한 압박감, 짓누르는 부담

Jeremy Bowen: Syria feels lighter without the Assads’ crushing weight – but now there are new problems
제러미 보웬: 아사드 가문이라는 짓눌리는 무게가 사라진 시리아, 그러나 이제 새로운 문제들이 있다.

BBC News
아주 극단적인 부담감을 의미합니다. 

문자그대로 물리적인 무게를 뜻하기도 하지만 대부분의 경우엔 비유적으로 심리적인 압박감을 표현할때가 많습니다.

My manager gave me the project and now I’m feeling the crushing weight of responsibility to get this right.

매니저가 그 프로젝트를 맡긴 이후로, 나는 이 일을 반드시 잘해내야 한다는 막중한 책임감에 짓눌리고 있다.

Many university graduates struggle under the crushing weight of student loans.

많은 대학교 졸업생들은 학자금 대출이라는 무거운 짐에 허덕인다.

The submarine was designed to withstand the crushing weight of the deep ocean water.

잠수함은 심해의 어마어마한 무게를 지탱할수 있도록 설계되었다.


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