As Gen Z finds itself increasingly consumed by social media algorithms and doomscolling, they’re not the only ones glued to their feeds. Increasingly, Gen X CEOs are scrolling right alongside them.
Virgin Group CEO Josh Bayliss regularly turns to TikTok—not simply for a mid-afternoon dopamine hit, but to better understand how younger generations think, what they care about, and where new business opportunities may be emerging.
“The zeitgeist is not people in their 50s like me,” Bayliss, 53, told Fortune. “The zeitgeist is 20-something year olds who are shaping the culture that we have an obligation to serve.”
But unlike CEOs like McDonald’s Chris Kempczinski or Costco’s Ron Vachris, who have frequently appeared on their companies’ social media accounts, Bayliss isn’t trying to make himself part of the content. Instead, he simply sees keeping up with trends as a viewer as an increasingly essential part of his job.
With more than 49.5 million Gen Zers on TikTok alone, viral moments can reshape consumer behavior overnight. And as the leader of a conglomerate spanning an airline, gym chain, hotel group, telecommunications giant, and commercial space-tourism business, Bayliss said he can’t afford to lose sight of what younger consumers care about.
“The way that Gen Z or millennials think about social justice, think about equality, think about inclusion, think about environmental issues—they are our target audience, and that’s where we have an obligation, I think, to listen all the time,” Bayliss said.
For brands, it’s also a way to interact directly with consumers and get ahead of trends that could make or break their business models.
“You’ve got to have the volume turned up 24/7, honestly,” Bayliss added.
Keeping up with younger consumers is getting harder—and more important
Staying up to date with younger consumers is hardly a new business imperative. But as technology and culture move faster, executives face a growing pressure to understand what’s happening around them—before they have to rely on a younger employee to explain it.
“Audiences want to interact with brands that are socially aware and respectful in their messaging,” wrote Evan Kropp, an instructor at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications. “This goes beyond using trending hashtags. It means hiring diverse creators, listening to feedback, and staying informed about social and cultural conversations.”
That’s one reason brands increasingly aren’t just posting on social media—they’re inserting themselves into the conversations already happening there by commenting on viral videos and engaging with users directly. Virgin’s social media team, for example, frequently responds to comments on its own posts, embracing the idea that brands need to let consumers know they are listening—rather than simply broadcasting messages to them.
“Companies that embrace cultural fluency can build stronger communities and deepen brand loyalty,” Kropp added. “It also helps them avoid costly missteps in public perception.”
Lifelong learning is a constant part of leadership, CEOs say
Virgin’s founder Richard Branson has long embraced the power of brand development. The 76-year-old has built a substantial social media presence, with more than 4.9 million followers on Instagram alone. But, he has also repeatedly emphasized he doesn’t know everything—and thus it is important to stay curious and learn throughout one’s career.
“As someone who didn’t finish school, I think it’s so important to become a lifelong learner and embrace an endless curiosity about the world,” Branson wrote in 2019.
Indra Nooyi, the former CEO of PepsiCo, has similarly argued reaching the top of a company doesn’t mean learning stops. If anything, she said, it’s when the difficult part begins.
“When you become a CEO, the game just begins,” she said at an Amazon tech conference in 2025. “The tough life just begins, okay? If you think you’ve landed, you’re mistaken.”
AT&T CEO John Stankey has recently taken a more structured approach to the same idea. The Fortune 500 executive said he frequently seeks a “reverse mentor”—someone younger who can help him understand how younger generations think and use technology.
“My kids aren’t in the house anymore, so I need a little bit more time with people in their 20s than what I used to have,” Stankey said in a recent joint interview with JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon hosted by LinkedIn. “I like to listen to what they’re doing and what’s important in their life and how they’re using technology.”
Stankey also has a system for the moments when he encounters something he doesn’t understand in a meeting, whether it’s a new trend, software or piece of Gen Z lingo.
“I’ll go into some meetings and somebody will say something, I’ll go, ‘What the heck is that? What are they talking about?’” Stankey said. Rather than slow down the meeting to ask—he said he just “pretends” he knows what it is—and then jots it down on a notecard.
“I pull the card out at night right before I go to sleep, and I go on the internet,” he said. “Now I go and I have a conversation with my chatbot to educate me a little bit about what that subject is, and so just being disciplined about how you learn is really really critical.”
