- Billionaire podcaster and former CNN legal analyst Mel Robbins blamed people overlooking Gen Z Because they are “weak” and lack of work ethic. After following in the footsteps of their Boomer’s parents By getting a degree and office work, generations earn a short end of the stick and deserve some slack to navigate unprecedented reality, she says.
Gen Z is branded with a “lazy” generation of workers marked by Tiktok addiction and loyalty from the home. But billionaire podcast personality Mel Robbins fought back against critics who slammed the next generation of workers and encouraged them to step into their shoes and see if they like it.
“We sat here and saw 20 sensations and said, ‘Oh, they’re all worried if they’re vulnerable to social media or addicted,” Robbins said. In the video Posted on her Tiktok. “Have you ever stopped to think about what it would be like to be in your 20s today?”
Robbins’ sympathy for older generation Z and younger millennials is in stark contrast to the negativity that clogs the food of young people.
John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods, said young people “don’t want to work.” Whoopi Goldberg criticized Z and millennials as “busts”[ing] Behind them like her generation, and they only want to work four hours a day. Actress Jodie Foster saw her Z employees as “really annoying” and difficult to work with.
However, Robbins argued that he doesn’t know what it would be like to navigate adults in 2025, including “out of reach,” a swollen generation wealth gap, and huge student loan debt.
“The average 20-year-old today is currently undergoing so much stress, pressure and confusion,” Robbins said. “And it wasn’t stress, pressure or chaos that existed five or six years ago.”
Robbins’ advice on Gen Z: “If you get lost, I won’t be surprised.”
It’s difficult for a 20-year-old. They find the hard way to follow the exact formula of their parents, proceed to the prestigious school, complete an undergraduate internship, and dive into the lush employment market. General Z was caught in the short edge of the stick, Robbins said.
“The world is in chaos, and most Trenisomesing had parents who lived in a very predictable and stable economy,” Robbins continued. “They went to work in a corporate world, they reported to the office and they had a network of friends at work. That’s not a typical 20-year-old experience.”
General Z is far more oppressed about their work life. According to only 62% say they are happy with their job and the lowest of all generations. investigation From MetLife. And, besides struggling to form connections in the office, young employees live through non-work economic turmoil. Only about 43% of entry-level workers I feel positive The employer’s six-month business outlook is the lowest recorded by GlassDoor since data collection began in 2016.
“They are now in the midst of a recession with hybrid jobs. The world is changing, the landscape is changing,” Robbins said. “If you get lost, I’m not surprised. This is exactly how you should feel.”
“You’re doing your 20s right. You have no issues,” she added. “It’s a completely normal response to the decade you’re in. It’s based on the moments in history you’re in. You’re expected to feel lost.”
And things are about to get worse for Gen Z.
Economists fear things will get even more intense for Generation Z. According to “Bond King” Billgross, the odds of a US recession balloon would write about major trouble, especially for younger generations.
“This market ‘crash’ will have a long impact on millennials and Z investors,” Gross said. I’ve posted X, before President Trump halted some of his aggressive tariffs on Tuesday. “Previously unable to make money would trigger attention and conservative attitude.”
Young people are also particularly vulnerable to financial collapse. They have witnessed fewer entry-level employment opportunities in the market as determined by budget cuts and AI implementation. And as the lowest totem on the pole, Gen Z has less bargaining power when seeking a better salary. Many young Americans are not enough to cover a month’s spending on the bank, and the problem can get even worse.
Rather than simply rolling and embracing a dark destiny, Robbins encourages Zah, a angst generation of Zah to reconstruct their way of thinking. In her Tiktok video, she recommended that the sense of her 20s embraces the uncertainty and views this tense moment in history as an opportunity.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon recently handed over two cents on the disaster of America’s youngest worker, and was equally optimistic.
“Any of these kids, anyone who’s depressed, they’ll have an incredible life unless we’re in a nuclear war,” Dimon said. Recent interviews On Fox News. “They should not lament their situation. They look at the world and say, “What can I make of it? What can I do more than the people before me?”
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com.
