Editor’s Note: Two years ago, Abhijoy Gandhi began writing a book from his base in Seattle, aimed at helping American Millennials and Gen Z navigate and thrive in Corporate America. It spoke to these generations, not about them. That journey came full circle this September when Abhijoy travelled across Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi to launch the Indian edition, A New Corporate Mantra.

What began as a cross-cultural book tour soon turned into a deeper exploration of India’s youngest professionals—their ambitions, anxieties, and the paradoxes that define how they see work and success today.

Last month, I concluded the India book tour for A New Corporate Mantra. It was  both exhilarating and humbling. What began as a mission to equip Millennials and Zoomers with a playbook for navigating workplace politics quickly turned into something deeper: a window into the paradoxes shaping India’s youth.

India’s NextGen is bursting with energy and ideas, yet burdened with contradictions. They stand at the crossroads of abundance and anxiety, global opportunity and local constraint, privilege and precarity. For anyone building for this generation, those paradoxes aren’t side-notes—they’re the heart of the story.

Closer to Home

My deeper engagement with Zoomers here began when the start-up I work for was named to a list of India’s hottest young companies. At one of the recognition events, three things struck me:

1. Form vs. Function: I shared contacts via QR code, while most others still exchanged paper business cards. A small detail, but symbolic of aspiration for modernity coexisting with entrenched habits.

2. Parallels with US Gen Z: Like their American peers, India’s Zoomers struggle with rigid workplaces. But here, family approval and systemic inertia magnify the challenge.

3. Unexpected Formality: Start-up culture in India, unlike Silicon Valley’s hoodies-and-coffee informality, was filled with suits, decorum, and visible hierarchy—even in spaces calling themselves “disruptive.”

As the book launched across campuses and companies, it became clear: contradictions don’t just exist in India’s Zoomers. They define them.

The Demographic Dividend—with a Catch

By 2030, 70% of India’s workforce will be under 35—the youngest of any major economy. Zoomers know this. Many call themselves the “generation of plenty,” the first to grow up without scarcity as their defining story.

But optimism sits uneasily alongside anxiety. They want to start companies but feel nudged into “respectable” careers. They crave autonomy but still seek parental approval. They see AI as both a rocket ship and a wrecking ball.

Confidence mixed with insecurity: that duality sits at the heart of India’s Zoomer story.

Lessons from the Road

1. Individual Ambition vs. Collective Scale: A Bengaluru-based ride-sharing unicorn

At one session, a young manager asked bluntly: “Why has India produced CEOs of global giants but not a Fortune 100 company of its own?”

The conversation turned to culture. India celebrates individual ambition—upward mobility, family-driven perseverance, personal hustle. But long-term collaboration is undervalued. Star culture thrives; teamwork lags.

Contradiction: Abundant individual talent, but fragmented collective capacity.

2. Hustle vs. Hierarchy: A global business services major

Students described working through competitive exams and family hurdles to enter corporations, only to be told to “fall in line.” Side hustles and personal brands—badges of creativity in the West—were dismissed as distractions.

The same hustle that gets them through the door is suppressed once they’re inside.

Contradiction: The system demands hustle to enter, but hierarchy smothers it once you’re there.

3. Risk vs. Stability: A leading national design institute

Design students cut to the chase: “Why are our American peers willing to freelance and start up, while we still cling to secure jobs?”

The answer is structural. In the US, safety nets and parental cushions make risk survivable. In India, without healthcare or unemployment guarantees, stability isn’t a preference. It’s survival.

When students asked whether AI would wipe out creative roles, I reassured them that while engineers may “build the new world,” designers would still be needed to make it human. The relief in the room was palpable.

Contradiction: They want to leap but cannot afford to fall.

4. Global Vision vs. Local Constraints: Top engineering colleges across India

Engineering students surprised me with their macro lens: geopolitics, critical minerals, AI infrastructure, and India’s role in the world order. They knew labour arbitrage was no longer a differentiator; the future lay in capital, sunrise sectors, and global alliances.

Yet their daily reality was far narrower—consumer apps, delivery firms, logistics. They were thinking like global strategists but boxed in by local ecosystems.

Contradiction: Global vision, local constraints.

The Unspoken Layers

Even as Zoomers spoke candidly, other forces hovered in the background. Hierarchy continues to shape interactions. Gender barriers persist under the guise of “culture.” Caste and class, though less openly acknowledged, still affect access, opportunity, and career progression.

These aren’t abstract forces. They complicate ambition and define how Zoomers experience the workplace. In theory, meritocracy rules. In practice, opportunity is filtered.

What Zoomers Really Want

Across these conversations, some patterns stood out:

• Practical Growth: Skills, global exposure, leadership development—not vague “follow your passion” slogans.
• Digital Identity: LinkedIn for credibility, Instagram for lifestyle, YouTube for learning—more central here than in the West.
• Hybrid Work: Flexibility is valued, but being visible in the office still drives promotions.
• Family Gravity: Parents remain powerful influencers; stability, pay, and respect matter deeply.
• National Confidence: A ‘rising Bharat’ pride shapes how they view their role in the world.

Zoomers aren’t looking for easy answers. They want pathways that balance autonomy with security, ambition with grounding, global relevance with local roots.

Reflections

If I distill one lesson, it is this: contradictions are not flaws in India’s Zoomers. They are defining features.

• They dream of building start-ups but crave steady paycheques.
• They want independence but seek family validation.
• They aspire globally but are bound by local hierarchies and norms.
• They yearn for autonomy but fear failure.
• They want to change systems but often get absorbed into them.

The absence of safety nets explains much of this. Risk here is costlier than in the West. For founders, that means reducing perceived risk—through clearer ladders, income stability, or institutional buffers inside organizations.

From Janmabhoomi to Karmabhoomi

On this journey, India—my Janmabhoomi—reminded me of something simple but profound: leadership today is not about delivering answers, but provoking sharper questions.

That will guide my Karmabhoomi as both founder and writer. For start-up leaders engaging with India’s youth, the opportunity is massive. But it demands humility, adaptability, and the courage to wrestle with contradiction.

The world’s youngest workforce isn’t waiting for pre-packaged solutions. They’re asking better questions. Our task is to build platforms that help them—and us—find better answers together.