Yet the sudden ubiquity of this phrase also reveals the extraordinary pressure the young-adult generation feels to decipher a puzzle-like economy that barely rewards their best efforts. For Gen-Z, the drive to self optimize is relentless, a driver shaped by both economic precarity and a digital culture that allows and rewards constant productivity. And for a generation that famously loves to mock its forbears the millennials, it closely recalls the “hustle culture” that aged so poorly after the 2010s.
In the past six months, according to Resume.AI, TikTok videos about career security have gathered over 130,000 views, showing that young workers are locking into a new kind of focus: on building skills, getting noticed, and standing out at work.
So is the fall of 2025 when Gen Z discovered the hustle? And is that a good thing?
