Michael He

March 14, 2025

Some Observations about Gen Z

A lot of things intertwine with one another to produce results beyond simple explanations. So, here we go. 

Key defining forces for Gen Z:
  • Ubiquitous connectivity, social media, devices, and online community
  • The long-term disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic and the lost years of lockdown and online everything (life, school, work)
  • Massive epidemic of depression and anxiety

Social media, Internet, always being connected
  • Attention economy
  • Sleep deficits
  • Messed up attention span
  • Unrealistic standards for everything
  • Web cocoon such as Reddit and discord 
  • Algorithm, and the Mr. Beast ethos on gaming the system
  • Hence, system does not encourage creativity and experimentation
  • AirPods and noise cancelling creates physical barriers between people 

Politics, distrust of institutions
  • The lack of role model and leadership on all levels, from national politics to local schools
  • Highly cynical on the return on investment by going to school
  • Disappointment in living through reality versus what is promised by adults and authority figure on every front 

The math is not mathing
  • Simple calculation on rent to income percentage, which means one has no money left when pursuing career in big cities
  • Home ownership is no longer affordable, hence the American Dream is fundamentally broken
  • Student debt crisis and its special properties means one cannot have any flexibility and true free will, as debt looms over one’s head 
  • People who do even more schooling to become even less employable
  • Hence, consumption hedonism in concerts, traveling, eating out, and substance consumption 

AI, work, and life’s fulfillment
  • Remote work means one does not understand the implicit benefit of in-person work and the opportunities and growth that brings
  • Change in mindset, from focus on input (hours worked) to focus on output, hence quiet quitting and remote work
  • Lack of mentorship, lack of team spirit, lack of actual relationship building and social skills
  • Disconnected from work, while demanding more from employers outside of monetary compensation 
  • No company loyalty to speak of 
  • No one will put in 100% effort to get to the next level, I do the work I’m paid to do
  • Everyone for themselves, back to a jungle world in corporate environment
  • AI rendering many common career paths useless and cast uncertainty on all jobs for the younger generation
  • The entire notion of career and work under doubt by the AI forces, starting with computer coding
  • Hence, living in the moment and unable to focus on the long term (when there is no long term to speak of)
  • Overall, the death of tracks 

Money, finance, behavior
  • Overall lack of hope due to math not working out 
  • General not giving a f, rise of F around and find out
  • Massive gambling tendency
  • Rise of meme, coins, pump and dump
  • Tons of grifters and lack of positive role model (especially in tech), meaning people don’t care about morality to exploit others 


About Michael He

Trying to get better every single day.