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 →

‘묻다’가 아니라 ‘캐묻다’를 영어로 ? probe, pay respects, crack down on | Deadly fires in Hong Kong investigated

홍콩 지도자 존리는 최소 151명의 사망자를 낸 화재의 원인을 조사하기 위해 독립적인 위원회를 구성하라고 지시했습니다.

지난주 수요일, 화재는 타이 포 지역의 7개 고층 주거 건물로 빠르게 번졌습니다.

당시 그 고층 건물들에서는 공사가 진행중이었으면, 당국은 이후 건물 외부에 설치된 그물망 같은 자재들이 화재 확산을 더욱 빠르게 만든 원인이라고 밝혔습니다.

건설회사 임원들을 포함해 최소 13명이 과실치사 혐의로 체포되었습니다.

1. probe

try to discover information by asking questions

질문을 하거나 조사하여 정보를 알아내려 하다

Authorities probe corruption and negligence in Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades
당국이 수십년만에 홍콩에서 발생한 최악의 화재와 관련된 부패 및 태만 의혹을 조사하다

AP News
알아내려고 하는 정보가 쉽게 찾아내기 어렵거나 숨겨져있을 경우 혹은 당사자가 밝히기 꺼려하는 민감한 사안인 경우에 이 단어를 쓰는 편입니다. 

단순히 묻는것보다 훨씬 깊고 강도 높은 조사라는 느낌이 있습니다. 경찰이나 정부가 사안을 조사한다거나 언론인들이 심층 취재를 한다고 할때 자주 등장합니다.

corruption : 권력을 가진 사람들의 부패, 부정행위
negligence : 부주의, 태만

The documentary will probe into the politician’s private life.

그 다큐멘터리는 그 정치인의 사생활을 파헤칠 예정이다.

Doctors are probing the cause of the unexplained symptoms.

의사들은 설명되지 않는 증상의 원인을 파해치고 있다.

2. pay respects

honor someone who has died, usually by attending their funeral or bringing flowers

(장례식 참석이나 꽃을 바치는 등의 방식으로) 고인을 기리다, 조의를 표하다

Hong Kong mourners queue to pay respects after deadly Tai Po fire Euronews.
홍콩 조문객들, 치명적인 타이 포 화재 이후 조의를 표하기 위해 줄을 서다

Euronews
죽은 사람에게 예의를 갖추어 조용히 애도하고 존경의 마음을 표현한다는 의미입니다. 

보통 장례식에 참여하거나, 헌화하거나, 추모공간(기념관, 기념비)을 방문하는 등의 행동으로 조의를 표시하는 행위를 말합니다.

Lots of people came to pay their respects to the writer at the funeral. her books were very important to them.

많은 사람들이 작가의 장례식에 와서 조의를 표했다. 그녀의 책들은 그들에게 매우 중요한 의미였다.

She quietly paid her respects by leaning flowers at the memorial wall.

그녀는 추모 벽에 꽃을 놓으며 조용히 조의를 표했다

3. crack down on

to start dealing with something more harshly or seriously

어떤 문제를 더 강력하고 엄격하게 다루기 시작하다, 단속하다

China crack down on calls for accountability over deadly Hong Kong blaze
중국, 홍콩의 치명적 화재에 대한 책임 추궁 요구를 강력히 단속하다

Al Jazeera
관용을 베풀지 않고, 엄격하고 가차없이 다룬다는 의미가 포함됩니다. 

정부나 경찰, 학교등 권한을 가진 기관에서 더이상 봐주지 않고 강력하게 조치하려고 나설때 이 표현을 씁니다.

헤드라인을 읽어보면 call for accountability(책임자를 밝히고 처벌을 요구하는) 를 crack down on 한다는 것이 좀 이상하다는 생각이 들수도 있습니다.
자유 민주주의 국가에서는 책임을 요구하는것이 정당하게 받아들여지지만, 중국정부는 이를 억압하고 있는 상황인 것이죠.

In her election campaign, the politician promised to crack down on unemployment.

그 정치인은 선거 운동에서 실업문제를 강력히 해결하겠다고 약속했다.

The school is cracking down on bullying.

학교는 집단 괴롭힘을 엄격히 단속하고 있다.


Related Posts