In a recent round of job interviews, Bengaluru-based CEO Ashish Gupta did something unusual – he asked fresh Gen Z graduates an easy 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?”. Surprisingly, only two out of the many candidates got it right, while the majority found the question difficult to answer.
Gupta pointed out that though the students excelled at debating social media trends, viral content, and reels, they lacked basic problem-solving skills, logical thinking, and financial management skills. He added that these basic skills are crucial for real-life decision-making and personal finance.
The CEO posted his experience on LinkedIn, voicing his concerns regarding Gen Z's ability to use social media but not competence in important life skills. He noted that while students were full of ideas on how to market products on digital platforms such as Instagram, they could not respond to simple math problems. Gupta emphasised that this is indicative of an increasing gap in critical thinking, numeracy, and analytical capabilities among the younger generation.
Gupta stressed that if the trends continue, future generations may struggle with personal finance, decision-making, and problem-solving activities. In order to close this gap, he urged mentors, employers, and educators to make critical thinking and basic numeracy essential life skills.
Netizens' Reactions
Gupta's post has generated a heated internet discussion with differing viewpoints. While some agree with his concerns about the younger generation's math skills, others argue that it's unfair to generalise.
One user commented, "you've raised a valid point regarding math skills, however, I would like to understand what has this question got to do with you hiring them? Are you hiring them for sales profile? Then answering this question is irrelevant. If you're hiring for a maths tutor, then I can understand your concern. Otherwise, this post has only one interpretation - you highlighting the lack of basic maths among today's generation. Also, I can assure you this, lot of CEO's themselves cannot answer this question, yet they are where they are. Relevance of skills should be the main criteria, not basic aptitude tests. I also learn DST (Distance Speed Time) formula, yet nobody has ever asked me this question for an interview, because the hiring team themselves know, it is not going to matter. So, basically you've highlighted a solid issue amongst today's generation, yet, it has nothing to do with skill shortage or any other hiring issue. Also, regarding "Reels", trust me, they can make more money through Instagram, than you'll probably be giving them."
Netizens Reactions | LinkedIn
Another user asked, “Why is it important to know how to calculate average speed?”
Yet another user pointed out, “Blame AI, not them.”
