Generation X workers have become disillusioned with tech culture—and their jobs

Generation X workers are losing motivation for the work they perform in the tech industry. That’s according to a study conducted by the experience management firm Qualtrics. The firm polled tech workers to see how they felt about their companies’ mission and values and their work that is driven by that. 

While the the survey found that the majority of millennial workers are still motivated by their companies’ missions, a majority of Gen X workers said they are over it. Specifically, when asked if their company’s “mission and values are more motivating than they were pre-pandemic,” 56% of millennials said yes as did 47% of Gen Z. But just 38% of Gen X workers agreed with the statement.

When all groups were asked if they agreed with the statement “I aspire to work for a high-profile, large technology company,” 60% of millennials and 60% of Gen Z agreed, while just 37% of Gen X did. When asked if they agreed with the statement “Work has become even more important to me and achieving my life goals,” 49% of millenials and 42% of Gen Z agreed, while only 32% of Gen X respondents agreed.

The study defines Generation X as people born between 1965 and 1980.

What’s interesting about these figures is that Gen X is the generation that built the modern-day tech culture—those who believed that technology could change society for the better and who were also healthily compensated for their work through high salaries, stock options, and other workplace perks. But now 68% of Gen X tech workers say their work isn’t as important to them in achieving their life’s goals.

What changed their outlook? The pandemic and its repercussions: remote work, the Great Resignation, and the massive layoffs that have hit the tech industry over the past year. 

“As the industry and economy continue to shift, tech company leaders must renegotiate their relationship with employees,” Qualtrics’s chief workplace psychologist, Dr. Benjamin Granger, said. “Call it a ‘mid-life crisis’ for tech companies or just one more change brought on by the pandemic years, but there’s clearly a shift in sentiment, especially among the older, more tenured employees.”

Qualtrics conducted its study in July and August 2023 among 1,000 U.S.-based tech employees.