30 Hot Takes to Spice Up Your Company Meetings

HeyTaco April, 13 2025 3 minute read

Brian from IT is at Sarah’s desk, attempting to get her back into her email. “What’s going on with your outfit?” he asks.

“Excuse me?” Sarah arches an eyebrow.

“Your outfit. If you wear denim pants, you should always wear a denim shirt to match.”

Ah, Brian. He has just unleashed a hot take that will change the trajectory of Sarah’s day. Now everyone in the office will have to weigh in on whether or not denim-on-denim is even allowed, let alone expected.

Let’s face it, Brian is going to lose this one. But his appreciation for the Canadian tuxedo has unintentionally led to a great team-building activity.

Hot takes are great for friendly, funny debates that familiarize us with our coworkers’ personalities and preferences. We bond over common ground or learn how to better stand our ground.

Today, HeyTaco is looking at hot takes–examples, what it means, and some suggestions for your next meeting.

What’s a hot take?

Hot takes are funny, thought-provoking, or controversial opinions. People will be split on whether or not they agree, but there’s rarely a right answer. This is why they make for an engaging discussion or debate.

What is the opposite of a hot take?

Cold or lukewarm takes are things most people agree on that probably aren’t worth discussing. “Traffic is annoying!” is a cold take. “I love traffic, it’s nice to unwind and relax during my commute,” on the other hand, is a flaming hot take.

Should we really share our hot takes at work?

Sure, within reason. We’ll share tips on that later. Hot takes, topics unrelated to work, or “gray area” discussions are great for camaraderie and strong communication. This is especially important in the modern age of hybrid and remote work.

It’s tougher to connect as a team these days. We need more chances to appreciate each other as thinking, feeling humans with unique perspectives. It’s also good for blowing off a little steam or filling the silence between tasks. Team leads and management also use these to help employees find their voices during meetings.

Examples of hot takes 🌮

Ready to assert your point of view, no matter how spicy (or flat-out inflammatory) it may be? Let’s get the ball rolling with our favorite taco hot takes.

Burritos are tacos for lazy people.
Tacos should always have two tortillas–you need the backup.
Nachos are just disassembled hardshell tacos.
Tacos are the most balanced meal you can have.
If your tacos don’t come with a slice of lime, you’re being shortchanged.
Hot dogs are American tacos.

Funny hot takes for Slack 😜

Want to make them say, “You’ll never believe what this lady at work said today” over dinner? Type one of these hot takes into the team chat.

People who swear a lot are smarter.
Mullets are coming back in style.
Tap water is better than bottled.
Wired earbuds are superior.
Thursdays are better than Fridays.
Cold showers are healthier than hot showers.
Electronics stop working on purpose so you have to buy new ones.
Pasta is Chinese food, not Italian.
Professional athletes are way overpaid.
Ketchup is the best way to eat tomatoes.
Mocktails are just overpriced glasses of juice.
Listening to an audiobook doesn’t count as reading a book.

Controversial takes to set the meeting ablaze 🔥

Opinions are like belly buttons, everyone has them and some really stick out. If you’re a little concerned at how easily your coworkers agree with one another, stir the pot with one of these.

The Beatles are kind of overrated.
If you fly everywhere, you aren’t really traveling.
AI art isn’t real art.
It’s much more fiscally responsible to live with your parents in adulthood.
Pizza is a healthier breakfast than cereal.
Any product that says “detox” on it is a scam.

Hot takes questions to spark a lively debate 🧨

Make hot takes a game with questions sure to unearth a difference in opinion. Separate into teams based on which position they take and debate it until the winner is clear.

Are dogs actually smart, or are they just obedient?
Does social media ruin your attention span?
Are introverts more interesting than extroverts?
Is vegetable soup just a wet salad?
Are vinyl records wasteful in the digital age?
Is being an influencer a real job?

Hot takes topics to avoid at work

Hot takes are supposed to be fun and/or mentally stimulating. If anyone gets angry or feels hurt, it wasn’t done correctly.

A lot of us really feel we know the people at our companies. We have established rapport, hung out at happy hour–we may have even met their families. However, decades of behavioral research can’t be wrong.

Hot takes should not focus on the following:

Gender, ethnicity, or race
Age, weight, physical appearance
Disability, physical or mental health challenges
Anything at a coworker’s expense
Biased or judgmental remarks about salary, politics, and religion

Nuance and intention matter, and there will be gray areas–that’s the nature of hot takes. Always use your best judgment.

BONUS: Is your hot take too niche? If you’re the only bird watcher on the team, “I don’t think the song of the willow warbler is all that great,” isn’t going to ruffle any feathers.

Try sticking to hot takes topics your audience would be familiar with.

Take engagement to the next level with HeyTaco

How do hot takes fit into your employee recognition program?

Keep employees connected with more team chat features that make peer recognition frequent and meaningful.

With HeyTaco, you can reward great takes with virtual tacos or other exclusive stickers. It makes positive interactions with coworkers easy and habitual–even if they’ll never agree that spaghetti is Chinese food.

Check the leaderboards to see who’s giving and receiving the most tacos. Users will enjoy climbing levels to unlock new Tacotars and rewards, while companies will enjoy seeing the results of their engagement efforts unfold on the analytics dashboard.

Learn more about how HeyTaco increases peer recognition and employee engagement and get 30 days free on us.