‘Kids Are Busy Playing TikTok:’ Billionaire John Catsimatidis Expresses Concern Over Gen Z’s Work Ethic

TikTok influencers Florin Vitan (L) and Alessia Lanza perform a video for the social netwo
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In an interview with the Daily Mail, billionaire supermarket CEO John Catsimatidis expressed concern that Gen Z’s commitment to social media platforms like TikTok is hampering their career growth, echoing a sentiment shared by several other business magnates.

In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, billionaire John Catsimatidis expressed concern that Gen Z’s reliance on social media sites like TikTok is impeding their professional development, echoing a sentiment expressed by a number of other business titans.

Businessman John Catsimatidis, the Gristedes grocery chain mogul, speaks at a news conference at the Women's Republican Club, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in New York. Catsimatidis, a Republican, is mulling a run for the New York City mayor's race in 2021. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Businessman John Catsimatidis, the Gristedes grocery chain mogul, speaks at a news conference at the Women’s Republican Club, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in New York. Catsimatidis, a Republican, is mulling a run for the New York City mayor’s race in 2021. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

(Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

John Catsimatidis, who began his career by putting in 70 hours per week at a neighborhood grocery store and is now estimated to be worth $4.1 billion, has expressed concern about the work ethics of the younger generation. Catsimatidis, the owner of Gristedes Food and Red Apple Group, stated: “That’s one of the problems we are having in our country these days, the kids are busy playing TikTok.”

Catsimatidis discussed his early life, revealing that his mother pushed him into the workforce the summer after he graduated from high school. “I was ready to sleep on the couch for the whole summer and watch television,” he admitted. But with this initial push, he eventually acquired a portion of the grocery store he had been working for, which marked the beginning of his illustrious business career.

The businessman’s straightforward advice to those eager to advance their careers is to hire smarter people, go to school, and stay out of trouble. In addition, Catsimatidis emphasized the value of effort, saying, “The harder you work, the easier it gets to win,” and criticizing part-time employment, saying, “Look at people only working three days a week, and I’ll show you failures.”

Catsimatidis’ remarks reaffirm similar worries expressed by other prominent business figures. The co-founder of Whole Foods, John Mackey, observed last year that younger people “don’t seem like they want to work.” Similar to this, Keith Rabois — a member of the “PayPal Mafia” which refers to tech executives that got their start running PayPal — recently claimed that some employees were engaging in “fake work.”

Gen Z workers have been vocal about the value of work-life balance and their refusal to put up with unfavorable working conditions in recent years. A survey conducted by the World Economic Forum in 2022 found that about half of Gen Z workers would quit if their work-life balance was negatively impacted. This apparent shift in work priorities may signal a generational shift that will present difficulties for businesses in the future.

Read more at Business Insider here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan

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