Business English News | Business English Pod

Business English News 54 – Tech Takeovers

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, IT and Tech / August 1, 2023

In this Business English News lesson we look at business English vocabulary related to tech takeovers or mergers and acquisitions.

Takeovers are a huge part of the tech business, and they’re not always hostile. In fact, many young entrepreneurs build niche companies hoping to be acquired. And for the giants of tech, mergers and acquisitions are a critical growth strategy. With the personalities and egos involved, takeovers keep the news cycle buzzing, as the drama at Twitter has shown. According to the Guardian:

Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in 2022 promised the biggest shake-up since the company was founded. The former world’s richest man was keen to take on the project after becoming disillusioned by the site’s perceived biases and content moderation policy. But Twitter’s revolution became a bloodbath in the process, cutting staff by 80% to hone in on the new direction. Then they lost users and advertisers as a lean team struggled to manage disinformation, trolling and impersonation online.

Free Resources: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3

Business English News 53 – TikTok

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, IT and Tech / May 16, 2023

In this Business English News lesson we look at business English vocabulary related to technology and TikTok.

It seems like every week there’s news of another attempt to ban TikTok. Indeed, the federal government and half the states in the U.S. have outlawed use of the app on government-owned devices. Never before has there been such a reaction to an app’s sudden popularity. So just how did the app reach one billion downloads and 150 million active users in the U.S.? According to the Guardian:

TikTok owes its phenomenal success to a host of canny choices. They feature easy-to-use video, with creation tools that blur the line between creator and consumer. Their vast library of licensed music allows teens to soundtrack their clips without fear of copyright strikes. And a billion-dollar advertising campaign on Facebook brought in new users as quickly as Zuckerberg’s company could send them over.

Free Resources: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3

Business English News 52 – ChatGPT

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, IT and Tech / February 26, 2023

In this Business English News lesson we look at business English vocabulary related to artificial intelligence and ChatGPT.

For a while, it seemed like the hype around artificial intelligence had died down. But a recent development in AI has taken the world by storm. It’s called ChatGPT, and unless you live in a cave, you’ve surely heard about it. But what exactly is it? As the Guardian explains:

Trained by AI and machine learning, ChatGPT is designed to provide information and answer questions through a conversational interface. OpenAI said the new AI was created with a focus on ease of use. “The dialog format makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests.”

Free Resources: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3

Business English News 51 – Energy Costs

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, ESL Podcast / October 23, 2022

In this Business English News lesson we look at business English vocabulary related to energy costs.

Consumers around the world are feeling the pinch as inflation bites. And it’s not just at the grocery store. Prices are going up across the board. A key factor driving this rampant inflation is the cost of energy, which impacts all industries and translates into even higher prices for the average consumer.

A global surge in wholesale power and gas prices means households across Europe face higher energy bills this year and beyond. In the worst-case scenario, many of the region’s most vulnerable are facing fuel poverty according to consumer groups. Prices started to rise above historical levels last September and have soared further this year.

Free Resources: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3

Business English News 50 – Streaming TV Services

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business News, ESL Podcast / June 5, 2022

In this Business English News lesson we look at business English vocabulary related to streaming TV services.

The pandemic battered many industries, including entertainment. But when theaters, concert venues, and museums shut down, the streaming wars ramped up. Besides Netflix, Disney, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV signed up thousands of new subscribers a day. In the dying days of the pandemic, however, the question has become whether they can keep them. For Netflix, the king of streaming, the news in 2022 hasn’t been good, as Gizmodo explains:

The most popular streaming service in the world reported on its Q1 earnings call that it had lost 200,000 subscribers where it originally expected to gain 2.5 million. It forecast doom and gloom for next quarter as well, with a predicted loss of two million more. The company has started laying off employees and shutting down productions in order to stave off further declines.

Free Resources: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | Lesson Module

Download: Podcast MP3