Ashish Gupta, a Bengaluru-based chief executive, recently conducted a campus recruitment drive and shared his observations in a LinkedIn post titled “Gen Z Knows Reels, But Not Real Math?” He questioned whether digital expertise alone is sufficient for success in the professional world.
Gupta is the founder of Bengaluru-based Bambinos, India’s best K5 tutoring platform to build the best communication skills in children aged 4 -16.
The platform bagged ₹1 crore in funding from three sharks—Anupam Mittal, Namita Thapar, and Ritesh Agarwal—on Shark Tank India 4.
The interview
Gupta shared his experience of interviewing over 50 students from various disciplines, including BBA and BCA.
As part of the selection process, he posed a fundamental mathematics question, typically taught in the fifth standard: “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 candidates were able to answer correctly, while the majority struggled. However, when asked about marketing strategies, they displayed extensive knowledge of Instagram reels, viral content, and digital trends.
“This highlights a stark reality—Gen Z is highly skilled in social media but lacks fundamental problem-solving, logical reasoning, and financial literacy. If these trends continue, we may have a generation struggling with personal finance, decision-making, and analytical skills,” he wrote.
Gupta urged educators, employers, and mentors to address this skill gap, saying, “Critical thinking and basic numeracy are non-negotiable life skills.”
The post quickly gained views on LinkedIn. Some supported Gupta’s viewpoint, agreeing that foundational skills were being overlooked, while others argued that a single question could not measure intelligence or capability.
One user commented, “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.”
Another user took a more humorous approach, joking, “That was still tough; next time, ask them 100 divided by half.”
One individual remarked, “It may be an issue with that particular group of students rather than an entire generation.”
Here is his LinkedIn post:
Gen Z Knows Reels, But Not Real Math?
Recently, I visited a renowned campus to hire fresh graduates—bright minds from BBA, BCA, and other streams. During my interaction with 50+ students, I asked them a simple Class 5 maths 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 2 students got it right. The rest struggled.
Yet, when I asked them how they would market our product, they had tons of ideas about Instagram reels, viral content, and digital trends.
This highlights a stark reality—Gen Z is highly skilled in social media but lacks fundamental problem-solving, logical reasoning, and financial literacy. If these trends continue, we may have a generation struggling with personal finance, decision-making, and analytical skills.
As educators, employers, and mentors, we must bridge this gap. Critical thinking and basic numeracy are non-negotiable life skills.
What are your thoughts? How do we ensure a balanced skillset for the next generation?
