What the Hootsuite CEO Learned from Interviewing 500 Gen Z Workers

The Playbook With David Meltzer

David Meltzer, Entrepreneur.com

Careers, Business, Entrepreneurship

4.9 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 26 June 2025

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In today’s episode, I sit down with Irina Novoselsky, CEO of Hootsuite, to talk about what leaders are getting wrong about Gen Z. After interviewing more than 500 members of the generation, Irina shares what’s really driving their decisions, including their preference for social-first communication and their shifting definition of success. We break down how anxiety, remote work expectations, and evolving relationships with authority shape their priorities. Irina explains why traditional sales tactics fall flat, how companies can actually reach Gen Z buyers, and what they really mean when they say they want flexibility. It’s not entitlement. It’s a different rulebook entirely.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome to the Playbook. I'm David Meltzer here at Web Summit in Vancouver. It's one of the greatest
0:06.9	communities that I've been involved with for now over 20 years and probably before you two were born, by the way.
0:13.3	I'm co-hosting today with a special guest, the CEO and founder of Rocket Plan. The amazing local talent here, Joe Tolzman, thanks for joining me.
0:22.3	Welcome to Vancouver.
0:23.7	Good.
0:24.1	We'll give him a microphone in the minute.
0:26.2	We said welcome to Vancouver.
0:28.2	More importantly, though, we are blessed with a New Yorker here all the way on the West Coast.
0:33.4	She's enjoying the weather, I'm sure.
0:35.4	But Arina Novoselski, thank you so much for joining us.
0:39.9	CEO of Hootsweet.
0:42.1	What a pleasure it is.
0:43.5	And what brings you all the way to the beautiful weather here in Vancouver?
0:48.5	Web Summit.
0:49.6	Web Summit.
0:50.2	Technology.
0:51.1	Talking a little of tech, talking a little Vancouver, some good food.
0:56.1	You guys brought the weather. I appreciate it.
1:05.8	You have something I don't. You have your pulse on Gen Z. I really understanding I'm a father of some Gen Z.
1:12.9	You might have a bigger pulse. I'm a boss of a few as well. But I think it's important to meet people where they're at.
1:16.3	And I think every generation gets a bum rap.
1:19.9	And the bum rap that I see is part of human nature.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from David Meltzer, Entrepreneur.com, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of David Meltzer, Entrepreneur.com and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.