Are We Witnessing The Forced Retirement of Generation X?
Actually, you guys are kind of the problem...
My recent column about why I am rooting for millennial leadership in Saudi Arabia came with its usual mail. I was expecting a lot of negativity.
But instead, I found something entirely surprising: strong support for the piece, especially from millennials.
Apparently there are a lot of my millennial readers who agreed with me. Fancy that.
We talk about these generational dynamics privately but we do talk about it — a lot.
And we notice how often Generation X seems to rip off our ideas, our businesses, or our work—and then call us “immature” or “kids” when we complain.
Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980, has more than 10 million fewer members than either the Boomers or the Millennials. The Gen Xers like to middle man between the generations and indeed between the great powers. How often have we seen Gen X business leaders have a detached approach when they talk about America versus the other great powers? You hear it from talk show host Tucker Carlson (or at least you did) or from Marco Rubio or other Xer politicians. “The elites are letting you down,” they bray. Bro, aren’t you “the most trusted name in news”? Aren’t you a Senator? We’re waiting on leadership from you.
The Boomers are largely too insular, too into themselves and their multiple investment properties to much notice the rest of us. This may well change in their retirement when they need us. In fact, I think the best thing that the millennials have going for us in the transfer of power and wealth is that we aren’t Generation X. Who are you more likely to hand something over to? Someone who could be your son? Or someone who had coked up parties in one of your many rental properties?
It’s irresponsible to hand these things over to people who have such a high likelihood of misbehavior. You often see it in the despair porn Generation X foists upon the rest of us or the advice they proffer without our consent and without our solicitation. You can see it in their podcasts, or their embrace of Gwyneth Paltrow’s weird new age woo-woo. Sorry we don’t want advice! Not interested! I’m in my thirties!
A recent smattering of headlines makes the subtext plain. Generation X isn’t doing OK.
In 2017, the age at which most Britons killed themselves was 49, according to the Office for National Statistics. In 1997, it was at age 22—peak Gen X.
And everywhere you look Generation X leaders are failing. DeSantis is too busy culture warring with Disney. How childish! We all know that Disney will win, don’t we?
Speaker Kevin McCarthy is a Generation X politician. It isn’t going well as his trip to Israel makes clear. Who does that? Go to a foreign country in the middle of a deficit ceiling negotiation? And if you look at the cuts it’s hard to see the McCarthy plan as anything other than anti-millennial. Student loan cuts? Really? What’s the GOP proposal to reduce pollution? They’d rather end tax incentives for companies that invest in green energy.
We all know though, don’t we that he’s going to be replaced by Hakeem Jeffries soon.
Don Lemon fired. Tucker Carlson fired. Vice News — started by Generation X — blown up. Generation X supposed soothsayer Nate Silver of 538 is done.
Peter Thiel is out of politics. He, too, has noted these generational dynamics.
Thiel notes how the major Generation X founders were replaced by Boomer "adults in the room" while Millennial founders held on to their companies. Thiel’s supposition is that the Generation X deserved to hold on to their companies.
Well, did they? And were the companies even that millennial to begin with? Let’s consider.
Facebook was really run by Generation X. Sheryl Sandberg was COO and Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen in the background. They experimented on the younger generations — while being careful to deny their own kids the products they sold the rest of us — and seemingly didn’t care when the suicide rate ticked up at Instagram.
The exploitation continues at other companies too. Google’s Gen Xers Sergey Brin and Larry Page both carried on relationships with subordinates.
You can see the exploitation everywhere you look if you dare to look.
It’s in the business models: Marc Benioff (Salesforce—let me spy on your company), Sundar Pichai (Google ads —let me spy on you), Satya Nadella (Minecraft — let me spy on your kids), Paul Graham (YCombinator — let me take a huge chunk of your equity), Elon Musk (chips in your brain!), Peter Thiel (Thiel Fellowship).
What these guys pioneered are extractive, exploitative business models built on the premise that you might one day get rich. In practice it’s a mafia where they constantly praise each other while ruthlessly stabbing each other in the back. No thanks!
It’s cultish in the extreme and it works on the naïveté of millennials who really did believe the Silicon Valley propaganda. I should know. I was one of them.
But justice is coming.
Let’s consider some of the Generation X “tech leaders.”
Marc Andreessen is staying one step ahead of the SEC. Good luck!
Keith Rabois is trading sex for investments and jobs. Coming for you, Netanyahu boy! Say how is it that all these twinks know what’s up at Founders Fund?
David Sacks is really trying to convince that electric scooters whose batteries are mined from child slaves in Africa are the future of transport. Can’t the Ukrainians take care of him already?
Generation X often complains about political correctness or “wokeism” but woke became a millennial weapon to take out corrupt elders. If it’s cyclically exploited against the boss and unfairly wielded so much the better. The best tactics are those which scare your adversary. Maybe wages should rise so your younger employees are happy?
In my experience so much of Generation X is exactly as they say we millennials are — humorless, hidebound, preening.
Maybe everything really is its opposite.
The anti-gay Republicans are almost always gay. The anti-groomer Republicans are almost aways groomers.
The anti-drag queen Republicans dislike the competition for attention that the drag queens offer.
As many of the Gen Xers enter their 50s they could spend more time helping the younger generations.
If not, you’ll see many more forced retirements.