Top entrepreneur rages about Gen Z: "Nobody needs work-life balance"
A top Austrian entrepreneur has unleashed a furious rant against Generation Z, saying the focus on work-life balance is nonsense and damaging to business.
Speaking on the ZDF show "Unbubble", sales and mindset coach Martin Limbeck, known in Austria and Germany for his hardline business views, said the debate in Germany and Austria is going in the wrong direction.
"We talk way too much about working hours and far too little about performance," Limbeck said. "Anyone who thinks a four-day week automatically makes a company more successful has not understood entrepreneurship." He added that "anyone who thinks every overtime hour is exploitation will never experience what real success feels like."
Limbeck rejected the stereotype that "Gen Z is lazy" as "just as dumb" as saying "all entrepreneurs are exploiters". Both, he said, are "bullshit". But he warned that constantly downplaying performance and shifting responsibility to employers, the state or "the system" only makes people give up control over their own lives.
The comments tap into a growing clash between older business leaders and Gen Z workers. A Civey survey for Wirtschaftswoche found 57.3% of decision-makers think Gen Z places too much value on work-life balance. Europapark boss Roland Mack, 72, recently said: "Here come 25-year-olds who only want to work three days — yet they have their whole life ahead of them, they could achieve something here, take responsibility, build a career."
Gen Z pushes back differently. Studies show the generation wants flexible hours, clear communication, and career development. A Udemy survey found flexibility and work-life balance policies are top priorities for Gen Z employees, alongside investment in training. At the same time, salary and job security remain number one.
The debate is intensifying as burnout rises. Data from the Kaufmännische Krankenkasse shows burnout-related absences have increased by 33% in the last five years. More than 40% of small business owners said they felt burnt out at the end of 2025.
Limbeck’s conclusion: problems are not solved by badmouthing performance. "We solve them by enabling people to take responsibility."
He ended with a direct question to his audience: What does the country need more right now — more personal responsibility, or more excuses?