It’s no secret that Gen Z often gets flak for showing up late to work, ghosting job interviews, refusing to put in any overtime for free, and demanding senior titles and work-life balance before they’ve really earned it.
Some bosses are fed up—firing fresh-faced Gen Z grads just months in and branding the whole cohort “unprofessional.” Even Gen Z workers have described themselves as the hardest generation to work with.
Like most generations did before them—millennials will remember being labelled work-shy snowflakes before climbing the corporate ranks into management—Gen Zers have gained a reputation for being difficult to work with.
A 2024 survey by Intelligent of more than 960 employers found that one in six companies were hesitant to hire a Gen Z worker.
But the same research that describes the youngest generation of workers as the hardest to work with, also notes that much is to be learned from them—and that perhaps the corporate world is long overdue a shakeup.
“They bring a unique blend of talent and bold ideas that can rejuvenate any workforce,” wrote Geoffrey Scott, senior hiring manager at Resume Genius. “Gen Zers might have a bad rep, but they have the power to transform workplaces for the better.”
If companies don’t adapt, they risk being left behind.
Tobba Vigfusdottir, a psychologist and the CEO of Kara Connect, a workplace well-being platform, previously told Fortune that employers need to bend to Gen Z’s desires (read: flexible work policies, sustainability pledges, and purpose-driven work) to stay competitive after the baby boomers retire.
“Companies really need to wake up and smell the coffee,” Vigfusdottir warned. “The companies that will survive are listening and letting them in, because they’re changing things.”
Will.i.am and Josh Kushner are betting on Gen Z
The multimillionaire rapper and songwriter Will.i.am and Thrive Capital’s founder Josh Kushner are betting on the bright young minds of tomorrow.
In fact, Kushner previously told Fortune he specifically likes to hire people with less than four years of industry experience.
When he launched the venture capital firm at just 26, he faced pressure to bring in older, more seasoned hires. But, as he put it, “anyone who has experience that is talented will never want to work with a 26-year-old.” So, instead, he recruited the “smartest people that we knew who were our ages.”
And that bet paid off: His firm made early investments in startups worth billions, including OpenAI, which was recently valued at $300 billion.
These days, Kushner could easily hire industry veterans with glowing résumés—but he’d still rather “find that young, hungry person who’s willing to run through walls like we were ten years ago.”
Will.i.am has reached a similar conclusion. The Grammy-winning Black Eyed Peas frontman might be best known for his chart-topping hits, but behind the scenes, he’s a serious investor too. He backed Tesla, OpenAI, and Pinterest before they became household names—and now, he’s betting on Gen Z for his next investment.
Why? He believes the next big breakthroughs in tech will come from young innovators at MIT and Stanford. “They’re young kids, and they’re native to this,” Will.i.am told Fortune. “So you want to hunt for that. That’s the only thing I’m focused on.”
A version of this story originally published on Fortune.com on April 10, 2025
Read more about Gen Z from Fortune’s Orianna Rosa Royle:
- Gen Z has no idea how to interact with their coworkers—and it could cost them a promotion
- L’Oreal exec tells Gen Z new hires to be that person who grabs their manager’s coffee—instead of making you look junior, she says it can get you noticed
- Gen Z is investing younger than any past generation and American Gen Zers are leading the way—with crypto acting as the gateway drug
- Gen Z is ‘task masking’ to look as busy as possible in the office. Experts warn they’re self-sabotaging
- Astronaut says Gen Z often quits when things get uncomfortable—here’s the Jeff Bezos Blue Origin training that taught her to push through
