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 →

‘Storm of the Century’ Hits Carribean

5등급 허리케인 멜리사가 지난 화요일 시속 295km의 바람을 몰고 자마이카를 강태했습니다. 태풍은 다음날 오전에는 쿠바를 향해 이동했습니다.

자마이카 총리는 나라 전체를 재난 지역으로 선포하고 ‘파괴적인 영향‘을 경고했습니다.

피해가 얼마정도인지 정확히 파악하는 데까지는 시간이 걸리겠지만 이미 많은 주택과 병원 시설이 파괴되었고 자마이카 전역에 걸쳐 심각한 홍수 피해가 보고 되고 있습니다.

허리케인 멜리사는 지구 역사상 가장 강한 태풍이며, 이번세기 들어 대서양에서 발생한 가장 강력한 태풍입니다.

1. make landfall

reach land

상륙하다

Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica

허리케인 멜리사는 화요일 자메이카에 상륙했습니다
The Guardian

움직이는 어떤 것이 바다나 공중에서부터 땅으로 진입하는 순간을 의미합니다. 포멀한 표현으로 뉴스에서 태풍이나 허리케인의 피해가 시작되는 시점을 가리킬때 종종 들을수 있습니다.

비유적으로 어떤 시장이나 분야에 처음 진입한다는 의미로도 사용합니다.

The company made landfall in the tech market last year.
그 회사는 작년에 기술 시장에 진출했습니다.

After weeks at sea, the sailors finally made landfall.

몇주간의 항해 끝에 선원들은 육지에 도달했습니다.

The typhoon made landfall in the early hours of Saturday morning.

태풍은 토요일 새벽 일찍 상륙했습니다.


2. fuel

give energy to something

연료를 공급하다; 부추기다

As the Atlantic Ocean warms, climate change is fueling Hurricane Melissa’s ferocity

대서양이 따뜻해지면서 기후변화는 허리케인 멜리사의 위력을 더욱 강하게 만들고 있습니다.

본래 의미는 가스나 석탄같은 연료를 공급한다는 뜻이지만 헤드라인에서는 비유적으로 어떤 것을 더 강하고 극단적으로 만든다는 의미로 쓰였습니다.

일반적으로 부정적인 결과를 초래하는 힘을 강화시킨다는 의미로 사용됩니다. add fuel to the fire(불에 기름을 붓다) 는 이런 의미를 가진 관용표현이죠.

His jealousy fueled their argument.

그의 질투가 다툼을 부추겼습니다.

Social media often fuels the spread of misinformation.

소셜 미디어는 종종 허위정보의 확산을 부추깁니다.


3. the eye of the storm

the centre of a storm

태풍의 중심(눈)

Storm chasers fly inside the eye of Hurricane Melissa
폭풍 추적자들이 허리케인 멜리사의 중심부 안으로 비했했다

BBC News

storm chasers 는 허리케인이나 토네이도 같은 극한 기상 현상을 직접 관찰하고 촬영하기 위해 따라다니는 사람들을 말합니다. 허리케인의 중심부는 사방이 강한 바람에 둘러싸여 있지만 가장 고요한 지역을 말합니다.

이러한 특징을 비유적으로 혼란(논란)의 한가운데라는 의미로 사용하고 있죠.

The reporter stood in the eye of the storm, broadcasting live.

기자는 태풍의 중심부에서 생중계 했습니다.

The politician found himself in the eye of the storm after the scandal.

그 정치인은 스캔들 이후 논란의 한가운데 서게 되었습니다.


BBC Learning English

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