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 →

rebuke: criticize 와 condemn 그 중간 어딘가| Greenland : Trump clashes with allies | Learning English with BBC

“One way or another, we’re going to have Greenland.”

트럼프 대통령이 한 말입니다.

그린란드는 대서양과 북극해 사이에 있는 커다란 섬으로, 덴마크의 통치를 받고 있습니다. 현재 그린란드는 자치 정부를 가지고 있지만, 외교 국방 안보 정책은 덴마크가 담당하고 있습니다.

그린란드는 북극에서 전략적으로 중요한 위치에 있기 때문에 과거에도 미국이 이 섬을 구매하려는 시도를 했던적이 있습니다. 현재 미국은 그 섬에 기지를 운영하고 있으며, 트럼프 대통령은 그린란드가 러시아나 중국에 의해 장악될 수 있다는 우려를 표명해 왔습니다. 하지만 덴마크는 이를 일축합니다.

여러 유럽국가들은 트럼프의 이런 발언을 비판하면서 덴마크가 그린란드를 자국 영토로 유지하는 것을 지지한다고 밝혔습니다.

트럼프 대통령은 이에 맞서 유럽 동맹국을 상대로 수입품에 세금을 부과하겠다고 위협했습니다.

ground zero

the location where something important starts happening

어떤 중요한 일이 본격적으로 시작되는 장소(발원지)

주요 갈등이나 변화, 추세가 처음 시작된 곳이라는 뜻으로, 단순히 여러가지 사건중 하나가 아니라 상징적, 전략적으로 큰 의미가 있다는 뜻입니다. 단순히 중요하다(important)고 하는것보다 강하고 긴박한 느낌이 듭니다.

Greenland is ground zero for Arctic ‘Great Game’
그린란드는 북극 ‘그레이트 게임’의 그라운드 제로다

Financial Times

This street is ground zero for the city’s latest crime wave. It all started here.

이 거리는 이 도시에서 최근 범죄가 급증하기 시작한 발원지야. 모든게 여기서부터 시작했어.

Silicon Valley was ground zero for the AI startup boom.

실리콘밸리는 AI 스타트업 붐의 중심지였다.

double-edged sword

something that has both positive and negative consequences

장점과 단점이 함께 있는것, 양날의 검

칼의 양쪽이 모두 날카롭다면 적을 베기에 좋지만 반대로 자신도 다치기 쉽죠. 장점과 단점(pros and cons)이 모두 공존하는 상황을 설명하는 표현입니다.

Why Trump’s split with Europe over Greenland is a double-edged sword for Russia
그린란드를 둘러싼 트럼프와 유럽의 결별이 러시아에 양날의 검인 이유

CNN

Having a pool is a double edged sword. It’s great fun to swim, but you have to clean it every day.

수영장이 있는건 양날의 검과 같아. 수영하는건 정말 재밌지만, 매일 청소해야 하거든.

Remote work is a double edged sword for productivity.

재택근무는 생산성 측면에서 양면성을 가진다.

rebuke

a strong criticism

강한 비판, 엄정한 꾸짖음(격식있는 표현)

대놓고 강하게 비판한다는 의미입니다. 같은 형태로 명사나 동사로 모두 쓰입니다. 조직이나 기관의 공식적인 반응을 묘사할때 자주 등장합니다. 그렇다고 감정을 폭발시키면서 화를 낸다는 것이 아니라, “의도적으로 통제된 비판”라고 할까요

Greenland PM issued defiant rebuke over Trump’s tariff threats: “We will not pressured”
그린란드 총리, 트럼프의 관세 위협에 단호히 반박…“우리는 압박박지 않을 것이다”

CNBC

The manager rebuked her staff after their behavior at the party.

매니저는 파티에서의 행동 대문에 직원들을 강하게 꾸짖었다.

The statement was seen as a rebuke to Washington.

그 성명은 워싱턴에 대한 정면 반박으로 해석되었다.

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