Generation Z is unprecedentedly rich

Measuring “richness” and wealth

• Many argue the article conflates high income and employment with true wealth, which should focus on net worth and assets.
• Supporters highlight unusually fast wage growth for 16–24-year-olds and similar or lower shares of income spent on housing/education vs past cohorts.
• Skeptics counter that equal budget shares don’t capture what quality of housing or education younger people get for that money.

Housing, education, and intergenerational support

• Repeated claims that housing and college costs have outpaced general inflation, making asset accumulation harder despite higher wages.
• Some note under‑25s rarely bought homes in any generation, so comparing homeownership at that age can be misleading.
• Intergenerational wealth and parental help (for down payments, tuition, gifts) are seen as increasingly important; this deepens divides between those with and without family support.
• Debate over how realistic it is that parents could have “just given” large sums (e.g., $100k) to newborns; averages vs medians and illiquid home equity are emphasized.

Cost of living, lifestyle, and inequality

• Anecdotes suggest higher consumption of travel, nicer housing, dining out, and premium cards among today’s 20‑somethings, sometimes enabled by delaying or avoiding children.
• Others say this illustrates a split: those who “make it” enjoy unprecedented comfort, while those who don’t face slum‑like conditions and feel the path upward is blocked.
• Expectations of “middle class” life (location, vacations, restaurants) are believed to have risen, making past standards look inadequate.

Critiques of data, inflation, and methodology

• Several commenters distrust official inflation statistics, arguing housing and education are underweighted and low interest rates masked real price growth.
• Some say the article cherry‑picks ZIRP‑era (near‑zero interest rate) data and uses averages instead of medians, overstating broad prosperity.
• Others defend the use of standard metrics and caution against rejecting data simply because it conflicts with popular generational narratives.

Youth socializing and car‑centric culture

• Discussion of declining in‑person socializing times: possible causes include car‑dependent environments, increased parental risk aversion, and more structured activities.
• Some think the built environment changed; others think parenting norms did. Virtual socializing (including gaming) may not be counted in statistics.

Young founders, CEOs, and innovation

• Skepticism toward claims about thousands of Gen Z CEOs and politicians without context on company size or role definition.
• Perception that high‑profile ultra‑young consumer‑tech founders are rarer; many younger founders now operate lower‑visibility B2B SaaS companies or are acquired early.
• One cited study claiming declining innovation by young people is noted as having been challenged by newer research.