Inside the ‘Gen Z Stare’ and Why It’s Dividing Generations

Welcome back to our Sunday edition, where we round up some of our top stories and take you inside our newsroom. Dell employees are not OK. Every year, the company conducts an engagement survey for its workers, called “Tell Dell.” One metric of employee satisfaction has dropped by 50% in two years amid layoffs and its push to get workers back in the office.

On the agenda today:

But first: Unpacking the new generational debate.

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This week’s dispatch

Your ultimate guide to the ‘Gen Z stare’

Millennials gave us skinny jeans and avocado toast. Gen Z? They’ve mastered the stare.

Yes, that stare — the blank, expressionless look from the younger generation that’s been lighting up the internet lately. Is it real? A post-pandemic side effect? A silent cry for help? Or is it just how Gen Z vibes?

At Business Insider, we dove headfirst into the phenomenon, decoding the psychology, exploring what it means for careers, and examining how it plays out in the workplace.

What is it? As more of Gen Z enters the workforce, some millennials say younger workers greet customers and colleagues with wide eyes, blank expressions, and pregnant pauses. Most of the debate hinges on Gen Zers working customer service roles, like hostessing at restaurants or taking orders at coffee shops. While this could be a sign of workplace awkwardness or underdeveloped soft skills, others are pushing back and saying the trend’s blame is misplaced.

Is it real? Our resident Gen Zer Amanda Yen says, “It’s ironic that millennials are diagnosing their Gen Z counterparts in much the same way boomers diagnosed and pathologized them. Millennials, are you sure you’re not just becoming your parents?”

The value of silence. BI’s Katie Notopoulos, an older millennial, said if you’re on the receiving end of the “Gen-Z stare,” maybe you’re the problem. “One thing I learned is that sometimes silence is the best way to handle a situation. In other words, you might say: Give ’em the ‘Gen Z stare.’ If someone keeps pushing, eventually you have to leave some silence hanging in the air — no more room for them to negotiate.” Just don’t get Katie started on how Gen Zers answer the phone!

Is screen time to blame? Psychologists and generational experts are weighing in, saying the phenomenon could have more to do with natural growing pains on a first job. There are also factors unique to Gen Z’s upbringing, including how the generation has grown up in front of screens. One professor told BI that it’s naive to underestimate the impact that COVID-19 shutdowns and online learning could have had on young people’s development.

What do Gen Zers think? We asked several young people between the ages of 17 and 27 what they thought about the debate. A 21-year-old from Boston thinks the whole thing is overblown. A 20-year-old from the Bay Area said she sees it all the time. A 17-year-old heard from her parents that she had been inadvertently doing it.

We asked our readers if they had experienced the “Gen Z stare.” The results are in, and spoiler — a majority of you have!

Life after DOGE

It’s been six months since Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency slashed the federal workforce in an effort to “streamline the Federal Government, eliminate unnecessary programs, and reduce bureaucratic inefficiency.”

After months of being in limbo, a recent Supreme Court ruling allowed the stalled firings to proceed. In a series of conversations with BI, six former government employees spoke about their career shifts, what life is like outside government work, and more.

“I’ll always be known as that.”

Also read:

One box of fibs at a time

The ability to return a purchased item has become a core part of the shopping experience. Retailers say consumers are taking advantage of returns — and a recent report from Appriss Retail and Deloitte found it’s costing businesses $103 billion a year.

Some consumers are committing outright fraud by shipping back empty boxes or claiming a package never arrived. Others are sending back items after months of use. The culprits are often everyday consumers, and they don’t feel bad.

A nation of retail fraudsters.

Also read:

The hot new MBA hustle

Elite millennials like Dan Schweber are quitting corporate America in favor of search funds: the practice of buying and running small businesses, also known as “mini private equity.”

Plenty of these unglamorous small businesses — like carwashes, plumbing, or snowplowing — are owned by boomers looking to retire. That makes them prime for millennial MBAs like Schweber, who can, in some cases, turn them into multimillion-dollar companies.

Here’s how they do it.

Cut the (kiss) cameras

You’ve probably heard of the viral concert “kiss cam” video that appeared to show Astronomer CEO Andy Byron embracing the company’s head of HR Kristin Cabot, then springing apart once they realize they’re on camera. The reaction prompted Coldplay’s Chris Martin to comment, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.”

A potential office affair is good gossip, but BI’s Katie Notopoulos thinks there’s something more troubling here: the knee-jerk reaction to identify the people in the video.

Why she regrets seeing that video.

This week’s quote:

“It was like being the lead investigator on your own murder.”

— A millennial who was paid to catch people secretly working multiple jobs but ended up joining them.

More of this week’s top reads:

New York’s tech elite give Mamdani points for “charisma” — and engaging with them at closed-door meet.Meet the 23-year-old investigators tasked with finding Ukraine’s missing soldiers.Elon Musk’s North Star is becoming increasingly clear.Amazon’s Ring goes full founder mode, taking the company back to its crime-fighting roots.The ex-Amazon employee who’s helped nearly 4,000 laid-off workers score jobs.Rideshare drivers use apps to help them judge whether a ride is worth it. Uber and Lyft are trying to kill some of them.Why Sam Altman and OpenAI are making a web browser.Make sure you’re doing this in your job search — especially if you’re early-career.

The Minecraft generation is cashing in.

The BI Today team: Steve Russolillo, chief news editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Akin Oyedele, deputy editor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in Chicago. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York.