Leaders like Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon argue that experience trumps everything in business, including brains. But Ricardo Ampel, founder and CEO of $1.25 billion software company Incode Technologies, believes Gen Z’s naivety is a career blessing, not a curse.
“My belief [is] It is important to approach the project with a fresh mindset and first principles. That’s why young people are especially useful in the technology field because they are less biased, he says. luck. “I think in the tech industry, too much knowledge is actually a bad thing. It’s biased.”
With over 20 years of experience building and leading companies to unicorn status, Gen X entrepreneurs know exactly what talent they need. In 2000, Ampere founded the social network company La Burbuja Networks.
Then, just a few years later, something occurred to him. The Mexico City-raised businessman started Amco Foods, a functional drinks company, in 2003 and grew it into a top contender in the market. Grupo Bimbo, the $263 billion giant group that is the world’s largest bread company, acquired AMCO in 2004.
Ampers launched Incode, an AI-powered identity verification business, in 2015 and is in his third term as founder. For the past 25 years, he has had a front row seat to examining what qualities in employees lead to success.
“Character is more important than experience…Come on. [generative] “AI and ChatGPT are more true. What I look for is grit… People with proven ability with integrity and character are what I really value, because entrepreneurship is primarily about perseverance, character, and adversity, so you need people like that around you,” Amper continues.
Balance open-minded Gen Z with emotionally mature older staff
Ampere is a strong advocate of young workers in the tech industry, but he is not completely ignorant of this generation’s shortcomings. Tech-savvy Gen Zers can take advantage of the fact that they are new members of the workforce. They are fresh and completely unaware of the complexities of the industry, which allows them to focus on the task at hand. But Incord’s CEO has made it clear that deep-pocketed companies need to offset the naivety of their younger staff.
“It’s easy to find open-minded people when you’re young, but you have to balance that out because you’re also going to find people who are less emotionally skilled. Those skills develop through experience,” Amper explains. “So it’s a combination. You hire young people, but you also have to hire older people.” [employees]”
“You can find people who have been through tough things and bring that into the company, and you can also find younger people who may not have gone through something like that, but they have a different side to them,” he continues.
CEO believes young employees hold the next key
Amper’s claim that young, inexperienced Gen Zers are the secret sauce for tech companies is actually playing out in real time. Last year, one Gen Z-powered AI company emerged and energized the war rooms of America’s tech billionaires. This is DeepSeek. The Chinese powerhouse, led by CEO Liang Wenfeng, credits its success to young talent.
“If we are pursuing short-term goals, it is right to find people with experience who can work immediately,” Liang said in a 2023 interview with Chinese media. 36Kr. “But in the long run, experience doesn’t matter that much. Fundamental skills, creativity and passion are much more important.”
Unlike his computer science-hungry competitors, the millennial DeepSeek founder wants Gen Z and humanities majors to spearhead his revolutionary AI. Liang unconventionally added that work experience is not the top priority when considering who to hire at a unicorn company.
“Just because you’ve done similar work before doesn’t mean you can do this job,” the CEO argued, adding that younger, less experienced employees are more innovative than experienced AI experts who get stuck in their own knowledge. “When doing something, an experienced person will say without hesitation, “Do it this way,” but an inexperienced person will seriously explore and consider how to do something and find a solution that suits the current situation.”
even luck 500 companies making wealth outside of technology are embracing Gen Z workers rather than sidelining them. Colgate-Palmolive, the $62 billion retail giant, is relying on young, digital natives to grow its storied brand. said Sally Massey, Colgate’s chief human resources officer. luck Gen Z comes with an in-demand skill set and a fresh perspective on the future of work.
“[Gen Z] We have grown up with technology. They have had a completely different growth than any other generation in the organization,” Massey said recently. said. “They bring new ideas, new perspectives, curiosity… They push us to improve and do things differently, and I think that’s great.”
