Bengaluru-based CEO Ashish Gupta stirred a debate on LinkedIn, questioning if Gen Zs sharp social media skills are a cover-up for their lack of basic problem-solving and financial literacy.

In a post titled “Gen Z Knows Reels, But Not Real Math?”, Gupta points to a very uncomfortable reality about a generation quick to create viral content but struggling with simple reasoning and real-world problem solving.

Sharing his recent campus hiring experience, Gupta recounted a visit to a renowned institute to recruit fresh graduates from streams like BBA and BCA. Interacting with over 50 students, he posed a straightforward Class 5 math question: “If a car travels the first 60 km at 30 km/h and the next 60 km at 60 km/h, what is its average speed?”

Only two students answered correctly, while the rest struggled to solve it. Yet, when asked about how they would market a product, Gupta found them brimming with ideas about Instagram reels, viral content, and digital trends.

Gupta pointed out that this reveals a hard truthGen Z is good at navigating social media but lacks basic problem-solving, logical reasoning, and financial literacy.

He also mentioned that if this imbalance continues, it could leave an entire generation vulnerable to dealing with personal finance, decision-making, and analytical challenges.

Public reaction:

The post quickly started a debeat in social media. Some supported Guptas viewpoint, agreeing that foundational skills were being overlooked, while others argued that a single question was not an accurate measure of intelligence or capability of a whole generation.

One user questioned the relevance of the math test in the hiring process, commenting: “Sir, you’ve raised a valid point regarding math skills, but how does this relate to hiring? If the role is for sales, then this question is irrelevant. If you’re hiring a maths tutor, I understand your concern. Many CEOs themselves may not answer this correctly, yet they are where they are. Relevance of skills should be the main criteria, not just aptitude tests.”

Some other users jokingly commented, “That was still tough; next time, ask them 100 divided by half.

Some disagreed with the broader generalization of Gen Zs capabilities. One comment read: “It may be an issue with that particular group of students rather than an entire generation.”