[darkerside]

Schmooze is a bit of a demeaning word, isn't it? If the CEO is learning from customers and helping the organization react accordingly, that sounds very valuable.

[RajT88]

Schmooze comes from yiddish, and it just means to chat or converse. Seems fair to me.

You can chat and converse idly, or with an agenda. Not demeaning at all, just descriptive.

[darkerside]

> talk with someone in a lively and friendly way

Demeaning isn't the right word, but it sure seems condescending. Like calling programming "button pushing".