Billionaire CEO Says Job-Hopping Hurts Gen Z’s Long-Term Prospects
Brendan Foody, the 23-year-old CEO of AI talent and data-labeling platform Mercor, is urging young professionals to rethink a career strategy many consider standard practice: switching jobs frequently. In a recent post on X, Foody said he had noticed that job applicants from his generation were leaving roles after roughly a year, chasing whichever company happened to be trending at the time.
Chasing Trends Over Building Reputation
Foody argued that many young workers mistakenly believe frequent moves strengthen a resume, when in fact they undercut the value of relationships, reputation, and trust built through sustained effort. He pointed out that people who accomplish significant things in their careers rarely built their success by hopping between employers every year. Josh Elman, a partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, echoed this sentiment, agreeing that switching jobs without meaningful contributions or proper closure is problematic, though he noted that professionals who stick with important work during pivotal moments benefit from a compounding advantage over time.
A Generational Pattern Rooted in Pay Growth
Job-hopping has become closely associated with Gen Z, partly because it has historically correlated with faster salary growth. Data from CareerBuilder shows Gen Z workers average shorter job tenures than millennials, and a survey from Oliver Wyman found that a majority of self-described “loyal” Gen Z employees in the U.S. and UK were still job hunting. Foody acknowledged this financial incentive, especially in fast-growing sectors like AI in San Francisco, but emphasized that switching roles should be driven by better opportunities for growth and learning, not just prestige or a bigger paycheck.