‘Makes me want to pull my hair out': This $12 billion company boss says he's frustrated with Gen Z employees-but…
When
Charlie Noyes
, then a 19-year-old MIT dropout, showed up five hours late to his first morning meeting at
Paradigm
, most employers might have sent him packing. Instead, the $12 billion San Francisco-based crypto investment firm saw something others didn't. Today, Noyes is a general partner at the company at just 25.
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'From his messages, I thought he was a 40-year-old with a beard, very cynical and craggy,' said
Matt Huang
, co-founder of Paradigm, recalling their first interaction in a Telegram chat about Bitcoin Cash forks. 'When he showed up to dinner, I was really surprised he was 19.'
That first impression was only the beginning. Noyes had already been steeped in crypto since the age of 12, discovering Bitcoin through gaming forums. He'd published research in crypto applications and won Intel's science competition twice — before ever stepping foot in a university. After briefly attending MIT, he dropped out to join Paradigm.
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At first, the workplace wasn't quite what Noyes expected. 'He thought opining on pitch decks over email and coming to the office once a week was normal,' Huang told Colossus. But once expectations were made clear, Noyes thrived. By 2020, he had already identified MEV (Miner Extractable Value) as a critical issue in blockchain architecture, leading Paradigm to invest in Flashbots — a key player now shaping Ethereum's $450 billion ecosystem.
Unconventional minds, powerful impact
But Noyes is just one example in Paradigm's line-up of unconventional hires. The firm's Chief Technology Officer, Georgios Konstantopoulos, joined two years after graduating college in 2018 and is now regarded as one of the most prolific engineers in the crypto world. Then there's a developer known only by his Discord handle, transmissions11, reportedly discovered by the firm while still in school.
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'They create an absurd amount of chaos sometimes and you want to pull your hair out,' said Huang. 'But then you see what they can do and it's like, holy crap. Nobody else in the world could do that.'
In fact, Huang likens his job to something out of a comic book: 'Sometimes I feel like I'm running the
X-Men Academy
.'
A broader trend across industries
Paradigm is not alone in betting on younger, unfiltered talent. Gen Z, born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, has a growing reputation for clashing with traditional office culture. Late arrivals, refusal to work unpaid overtime, and demands for quick promotions are some of the common complaints.
According to a survey by Intelligent, one in six companies hesitates to hire Gen Z workers. Even some Gen Zers admit their generation is the hardest to work with.
Still, the very qualities that make Gen Z challenging also give them an edge in fast-moving industries. 'They bring a unique blend of talent and bold ideas that can rejuvenate any workforce,' said Geoffrey Scott, senior hiring manager at Resume Genius. 'Gen Zers might have a bad rep, but they have the power to transform workplaces for the better.'
Adapt or be left behind
Psychologist Tobba Vigfusdottir, who heads the workplace wellness platform Kara Connect, warns that companies unwilling to adapt may fall behind. 'Companies really need to wake up and smell the coffee,' she told Fortune. 'The companies that will survive are listening and letting them in, because they're changing things.'
According to Vigfusdottir, organisations should offer more flexible working policies, environmentally conscious practices, and jobs with clear purpose if they want to attract and retain Gen Z talent — especially as baby boomers exit the workforce.
Other big names betting on Gen Z
Matt Huang isn't the only one making bold bets on Gen Z. Thrive Capital founder Josh Kushner, who launched his firm at 26, says he prefers hiring people with less than four years of experience. At the time, he knew older industry veterans wouldn't want to work for someone so young, so he instead hired 'the smartest people that we knew who were our ages.'
That approach led Thrive Capital to early investments in major companies — including OpenAI, now valued at over $300 billion. Even today, Kushner continues to favour younger hires. 'I'd still rather find that young, hungry person who's willing to run through walls like we were ten years ago.'
Will.i.am, best known for fronting the Black Eyed Peas, is another high-profile Gen Z backer. A seasoned tech investor who got in early on Tesla, OpenAI, and Pinterest, he believes the next wave of breakthroughs will come from young minds at institutions like MIT and Stanford. 'They're young kids, and they're native to this,' Will.i.am told Fortune. 'So you want to hunt for that. That's the only thing I'm focused on.'
While many employers may still be cautious around Gen Z, leaders like Huang, Kushner, and Will.i.am are embracing their creativity, curiosity, and disruptive energy. The chaos they bring may be maddening, but it's also fuelling the next generation of transformative innovation.
As Matt Huang put it plainly: 'Nobody else in the world could do that.'
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