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Ask a millennial, and theyll tell you all about the Great Recession. Many of them, fresh out of school, resorted to taking any job they could findwaiting tables, parking carsand many simply returned to school to earn another degree, and wait for more favorable economic climes. Unemployment topped out at 10%. It stunted their career growth and earnings for years. Thats why many members of older generations may roll their eyes at young people who have been convinced that, despite all evidence, the U.S. has been mired in a recession over the last couple of years. While economic issues dominated the headlines, mostly related to inflation and rising prices, unemployment remained low, average earnings increased, and GDP numbers were on the up and up. But nearing the mid-point of 2025, the ground has shifted. The second Trump administration, brandishing tariffs and other questionable economic policies, has many experts believing were on the cusp of an actual recessionthe first since the brief recession caused by the pandemic, and the second since the Great Recession more than a decade-and-a-half ago. The data points in that direction, too: The most recent GDP numbers show a contracting economy, forecasts suggest that unemployment could continue to rise, the stock market is as volatile as ever, and consumers are feeling pessimistic. Though things seem to be tilting in the direction of a recession, its not a sure thing; many experts were convinced a recession would hit in 2022, though it never materialized. Accordingly, some younger people may have been lulled into a false sense of security, despite their concerns over the past few years, thinking that the experts, again, were mistaken. And the experts say that were not quite feeling the full effects of the Trump administrations new policies, either. Everyones scrambling to find evidence of economic impact right now, says George Eckerd, Research Director at JP Morgan Chase Institute. But these things take time to evolve, and the datas going to be much slower to come in than the rhetoric. Things are going to be fairly inertial for the time being. But when and if the economic screws start to tighten, Gen Z and younger Americans could feel the pressure more acutely than any other generationeven millennials. Market exposure, low liquidity, and little experience Gen Z is coming of age in a different world than previous generations, with access to a slew of smartphone applications, AI-powered tools, and more that can help them not only find jobs, but manage their money. But those apps and tools may be one of the primary reasons Gen Z could find a recession particularly jarring. Gen Z is way more likely to have real, concrete engagement in the financial markets, says Eckerd. Thats because many of them were able to download investing apps on their phones and start playing around with crypto with a sense of ease like no generation before them. Eckerd notes that the data hes seen shows that there was marked growth in young people sending money out of their after-tax income, which fueled the pandemic-era investing boom. So, if a recession and market downturn slam investors, Gen Z will have a front row seat to the carnage, and will see their own assets decline in value, which may make their collective stomachs turn. They got started on their financial journey a lot faster and earlier, so theyll have a tangible, visible thing where they can log in and see how the markets and economy are behaving. Seeing red lines, instead of green ones, may evoke some emotional, knee-jerk reactions, especially from young people who have, by and large, only lived through periods of economic expansionagain, with the exception of the chaos wrought by the pandemic. So, inexperience with a large-scale economic downturn, and thus, having developed a sort of thicker skin to deal with it, could also affect Gen Z more so than their older counterparts. On top of it all, Eckerd says that young people generally have less liquidity and wealth built up, so their buffers are thinner. Thats to say that if a recession does arrive, Gen Z has less of a safety net, and could struggle in the short term, much like the millennials did in the wake of the Great Recession. Thats also not to say that millennials or other generations wont suffer or struggle, but they just experience it a bit differently than members of Gen Z, who, again, have come up in perhaps historically atypical economic circumstances. The question, assuming we are in for a recession, is what young people can do to prepareand the answer, experts say, doesnt differ much from what their predecessors should have done, too. How Gen Z can prepare for a recession As of early May, many Americans do seem to be steeling themselves for more difficult economic conditions ahead. Recent data from Intuits 2025 Prosperity Index finds that 75% of Gen Z and millennials are finding it difficult to make financial plans due to economic uncertainty, and that 30% can only afford basic necessitiesa number that would likely swell during a recession. Cameron Rufus, an investment advisor at Ritholtz Wealth Management in New York City, says that he advises younger people to always be prepared for a recessionits more or less the same strategy as preparing for a change in personal circumstances. What I tell younger people is to always be prepared. Just do the basics. Have some cash, save more, he says. We don’t know whats going to happen in the markets, he says, and things could change in the blink of an eye. Rufus, who himself is a member of the Gen Z cohort, has a final piece of advice for younger people: Take everything youre hearing on social media with an asteroid-sized grain of salt. Youve got to be careful about who youre listening to, and whos in your ear, be it personally or on social media, he says, adding that many influencers and content creators who discuss finances and the economy may have an agenda, and are also trying to increase engagement. Freaking people out about an impending recession is a fairly easy way to do that. To make his point, he refers back to the “VIX” market index, which tracks market volatility. Remember, says Rufus, the higher the VIX, the higher the clicks.
Category:
E-Commerce
Sahil Lavingia has had just three jobs over a 15-year career in tech. The first was as the second employee of Pinterest. The second was by founding the startup Gumroad, a successful, famously lean company that makes it easy for content creators to sell digital goods. The third? As an unpaid contractor supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs in a role facilitated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a fact recently revealed in a Wired piece. One of these things is not likeand is far more controversial thanthe others. But Lavingia, who chose not to speak to Wired but reached out to me after I drew attention to the piece, makes no excuses for his decision to join DOGEs tidal wave of on-the-fly federal contractors. He says hes able to work without pay because of Gumroads successand that he is driven by a sense of mission. The reason I did it is, I think, the impact I can have, he explains. Lavingia says that in the private sector, technical employees can have between six and seven figures of financial impact over their lifetime. If theyre a successful startup founder like he is, maybe that number is larger. But in the government, I really believe that I can have billions of dollars of positive impact just by being technically minded. To hear it from Lavingia, the Elon Musk-backed DOGE was a shortcut in a direction he already saw himself going. Years ago, during the Obama administration, he applied to the United States Digital Service, the predecessor organization to DOGE, only to find the hiring process arduous. While he officially works for the VA, DOGE gave him an inroad into government work that didnt force him to go through a complicated vetting process. They just sent me to the VA, he says. They just kind of helped me find the job. Which is greatIm proud of that. Reflecting his tongue-in-cheek stance that DOGE is a glorified temp agency for software engineers, he got in through the side entrance, offering his services to the cause of government efficiency. Im basically taking Elon at his word, he admits. Wait, doesnt he run a company? Lavingias decision to moonlightnot exactly unheard of in DOGE circlesdoesnt necessarily tie to his primary gig. But he suggests that it might have inspired his recent decision to open source Gumroad. After all, it matches what hes proposing with DOGE. I think we should open source all the code that we write, he says of his VA work. And I think that if we did that, I’m not saying people will agree with us, but at least people will see what we’re doing. His VA side hustle comes at a time when Gumroad itself is going through some major structural changes. Last year, the company rebranded its corporate structure as Antiwork, inspired directly by a popular Reddit community of the same name. As part of its restructuring, it began putting its various apps on GitHub, including Gumroad. (The announcement taking Gumroad open source had some odd timing, hitting on the same day as the Wired story; Lavingia claims it was unintentional and unfortunate.)In one sense, this was a positive move for tech fans who run web apps and other software on their own infrastructure. Now they have a new tool at their disposal, and Gumroad has pledged to make it easier for them to install and maintain its code in the coming months. But the launch raised questions, in part because the license wasnt purely open source. With limits on the upside for commercial enterprises, tech users were skeptical. In response to the feedback, almost on a whim (I just kind of woke up one day, and I was like, Fuck it, lets just do the thing), Lavingia decided to move the Gumroad code base to the MIT license. That license, which companies such as Netflix and Apple have used to support their empire building, essentially allows users to do what they want with code without any requirements or limitations on its commercial use. Unlike the equally well-known General Public License, it does not require the creation of open-source derivative works. There are technical reasons for the licensing decision that go beyond helping a few self-hosters. Gumroad is a prominent example of a complex code base built on the Ruby on Rails framework, something Lavingia claims there are only limited examples of in the commons. From an AI standpoint, he says, this creates a knock-on effect where providers of large language models are less helpful with Rails than with competing frameworks like React. Internally, Antiwork aims for Gumroad to get 100,000 stars on GitHub, a number he freely admits is arbitrary. But what matters is its a good proxydid we actually build something people use, fork, and get value from? (Its currently at 5,700 stars.) Lavingia says the timing of his work at the VA is coincidental, but it helped inspire his thinking about open sourcing. Simply put, in a climate where equipment is often purchased through a complex bidding process, federal agencies have more flexibility with open-source tooling. He uses the example of Drupal, an open-source content-management system that is ubiquitous throughout the government and enterprise, but has a reputation among tech enthusiasts of being an older framework. People probably in startups would not say Drupal is their first choice, but what is really good about Drupal is that its MIT, he says. Its open source, it has a lot of packages and extensions. And its probably no coincidence that the government runs on Drupal for a lot of its CMS needs instead of some commercial proprietary thing. One could see an automation-minded coding whiz like Lavingia modernizing the VAs stack around more efficient tools. But as the security-card mechanisms in many government-procured laptops highlight, federal agencies are a different beast. A startup lifers view of the VA Much of what has been written about DOGEthe push to get employees into sensitive systems, the aggressive attempts at layoffs, the weekly emailshas not endeared the work to the public, and Musk recently took a step back from the endeavor. What people have heard about DOGE, they dont like. A recent New York Times poll analysis found survey respondents favored the idea of improving government efficiency, and even the idea of DOGE, but not the way it was being done. But hearing a first-person perspective of whats happening on the ground from Lavingia is nonetheless revealing. Hes someone who has gone from being the big fish in a tiny pond to just anotherperson in an agency that counts more than 400,000 employees on its payrollthough, as with elsewhere in the federal government, it is also seeing cuts. Now that hes there, he says he finds himself surrounded by people who love their jobs, who came to the government with a sense of mission driving their work. In a sense, that makes the DOGE agenda a little bit more complicated, because if half the government took [a buyout offer], then we wouldnt have to do much more, he says, implying software can replace departing employees. Wed just basically use software to plug holes. But thats not whats happening. Lavingias skills with automation, which have helped keep Gumroad lean, are what he hopes to bring to the VA. But when it comes down to it, what hes found is a machine that largely functions, though it doesnt make decisions as fast as a startup might. I would say the culture shock is mostly a lot of meetings, not a lot of decisions, he says. But honestly, its kind of finebecause the government works. Its not as inefficient as I was expecting, to be honest. I was hoping for more easy wins. In contrast to DOGEs shadowy reputation, Lavingia has made a case for transparency. Based on a pledge he received from Musk during a meeting, Lavingia has been open sourcing his VA work, creating tools that can generate org charts and detect compliance with the presidents executive orders. If you arent a fan of DOGEs work, the open-source code, while useful for transparency, probably wont make you feel any better about Lavingias work at the VA. The compliance code, for example, is effectively a Python script that hooks into OpenAI servers hosted on Microsoft Azure, detecting whether a federal agencys communication references chief diversity officers, pronouns, or WHO (World Health Organization) partnerships. However, Lavingia makes it clear that DOGE has limits, especially thanks to the court decisions and palace intrigue that have removed much of its bite. Ultimately, he argues, it has become a way for roving engineers to get an up-close view of how government worksa McKinsey for the government, as he puts it. I think DOGE both gets too much credit and too much blame, he says. Blame the people who actually have the authority to make the decisions. Its like when people say billionaires are evil. Im like, well, maybebut really, the people at fault would be the lawmakers, right? I dont know. Lavingia strikes me as someone who genuinely cares about the work hes doing, but who thinks about it like a software engineer. There may be a case for startup lifers to swoop in and out of government, sharing the latest technical innovations with a complex beast in dire need of more efficiency. But the move-fast-and-break-things style may simply be too swift and damaging when essential government services are on the line. A fork in the Gumroad? No matter how Lavingia sees things from a day-to-day perspective, the truth is that people who feel betrayed by Gumroads association with DOGE have a new reason to go with another creator-friendly tool. But its not the first knock against the service. Its traditional laissez-faire approach to content moderationcontroversially, the site is the digital storefront of onetime Adult Swim sketch comic Sam Hyde, notorious for his alt-right tieshas long raised eyebrows. The companys heavy use of automation has also created problems for users concerned about customer support. Evan Hildreth, a writer and programmer, recently expressed frustration with the platforms changes, and his inability to reach a support person that wasnt an LLM. Even with the licensing changes, he felt like he could no longer trust the platform. The changes to email and memberships really shook my confidence in the product itself, he said. (Lavingia says Gumroad is working to hire additional customer support staff.) And more recently, the platform has started to limit not-safe-for-work content, with Lavingia suggesting to TechCrunch last year that an unnamed supplier required the stricter approach. But even considering all that, Lavingia seemingly hadnt taken into account one key aspect of open sourcing that the MIT license could allow: the potential of folks turned off by his moonlighting gig creating their own version of Gumroad by forking the code and continuing development independently. When I pose the question, he isnt entirely opposed. He admits that the brutal form of capitalism the MIT license allows for might force Gumroad to compete a little harderor, perhaps, become more community-oriented, like WordPress. I kind of want that, almost. I want to move on with my life, he says. If someone launches Blueroad.com, or something worse on the right? Whatever. While Gumroada small company with outsize impact on the creator economyisnt going away, going open source nonetheless seems like something Lavingia has been preparing to do for a while. Gumroad is now 14 years old. So maybe the analogy is, My kids going off to college, and its not my problem anymore, he says. And maybe this means Gumroad will get even weirder in the future, right? Given the current context, its already off to a weird start.
Category:
E-Commerce
Real ID, the new format for drivers licenses and state IDs in the U.S., shows how design can set federal standards while minimizing federal oversight. When Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005 at the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, it was an attempt to standardize minimum security requirements for state IDs and driver’s licenses nationwide, as well as make consistent the forms of identity recipients needed to show to get an ID. On the surface, it might seem like a simple ask, but in practice, the legislation butted up against privacy concerns and ideological opposition to federal overreach. About half of states opposed the law after it passed, and 13 passed laws to prohibit their states from complying, according to The Washington Post, including Arizona, whose governor at the time, Janet Napolitano, called it an unfunded federal mandate. The ACLU said it would bring government into the very center of every citizens life. Illinois residents wait in a line that stretches nearly two blocks to enter the Real ID Super Center operated by the Secretary of State’s office to apply for a Real ID on May 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. [Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images] IDs have a new standards manual It took 20 years and multiple deadline extensions to fully enact the law, which requires that applicants have two proofs of residency, proof of identity and legal residence, and a Social Security card or W-2 form that includes a Social Security number to be eligible. Even today, lingering anxieties over the idea of a federal ID can be found on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) website. On its frequently asked questions page, the agency shoots down a question about supposedly building a national database. “Real ID is a national set of standards, not a national identification card,” DHS says. “Each jurisdiction continues to issue its own unique license, maintains its own records, and controls who gets access to those records and under what circumstances. The purpose of Real ID is to make our identity documents more consistent and secure.” Real IDs, real design differences Under America’s federal system, issuing driver’s licenses is the responsibility of the state, but with Real ID, the federal government sets some design standards. The new IDs must contain certain personal information about the card holder, like legal name and birthdate, a machine-readable barcode, and physical security features of states’ choosing to prevent forgery, like holograms, hard-to-print patterns, or UV florescent ink. New IDs that meet these minimum requirements, or Real IDs, are identified with a star icon in the top right corner of the card front, but the law leaves some room for creative interpretation. It’s safe to say that some states incorporate the star icon in more interesting ways than others. Designs of Current American Real IDs in All 56 States/Territories by inPassportPorn While most states show the star icon inside a simple circle, there are a few standout designs for the tiny mark. California displays its star icon inside a grizzly bear, which is its state animal and also appears on its state flag. Maine, Michigan, and Nevada place the star icon within an outline of the state’s map. Ohio’s star symbol appears next to a green rendering of the state, and South Carolina similarly places its star next to a red illustration of the state. Washington is the only state to not use a star, and instead denotes its Real IDs with a U.S. flag. Real ID may be a federally mandated design standard, but it’s implemented in a decentralized way. By leaving IDs to the states but still ensuring they meet minimum standards, the law lets states design their IDs with confidence they’ll be recognized nationwide.
Category:
E-Commerce
Even in this new era where hundreds of words are getting erased from U.S. government websites, one wouldnt imagine a word like retrofit to be offensive, especially when retrofitting a building or a home can save lives and protect the pocketbooks and health of millions of Americans. And yet, retrofit programs appear to be on Trump’s chopping block. The Trump administration recently took aim at a housing retrofit program within the Department of Housing and Urban Development, whose funding was appropriated and approved through a bipartisan Congress. This retrofit program helped ensure that vulnerable Americans, many of whom are seniors, wouldnt be too cold in the winter due to poor insulation, be burdened with unnecessarily high utility bills, be breathing in moldy or unhealthy air from failing heating and air-conditioning units, or be at significant risk the next time extreme weather rolls through. In response to the Trump administrations attempts to axe this vital service, last month a federal judge ruled that the programs funding must be unfrozen and resumed. While this was a positive development, it was a preliminary injunction in effect while the court deliberated. The risk to retrofitsand to the health, well-being, and pocketbooks of millions of Americansremains. That’s why in April, more than a dozen members of Congress sent a letter to HUD Secretary Scott Turner urging continuation of the program. The importance of retrofitting To date, this HUD programwhich is called the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, but could easily be renamed the Keeping Americans Safe and Healthy Programhas funded retrofitting projects for nearly 25,000 housing units across the country. Thats real impact thats reaching millions of Americans. These are housing units where landlords might be reluctant to do the necessary weatherizing, insulating, and other efficiency upgrades, all of which would improve the health of residents living there, as well as lower their utility bills. By making grants and loans available to owners of affordable housing, they were incentivized to improve a propertys energy or water efficiency, indoor air quality, and resilience to heat waves. And as our country continues to face a housing affordability crisis, any and all public-private partnerships like this that lower the costs associated with housing should be welcomed, not eviscerated. The program had three simple goals: First, reduce energy and water use in multifamily properties that HUD assists. Thats a no-brainer, as efficiency has long been a bipartisan area of congressional consensus. It saves money for anyone paying an energy or water bill (usually renters with lower incomes) and is a much-needed offset, given the increasing unaffordability of monthly rent. Second, help multifamily properties be more resilient to extreme weather events and disasters. That should also be a given, as its far more expensive for taxpayers to clean up damaged housing after a disaster than it is to prevent damage in the first place. There has been bipartisan support in Congress over the years for this kind of preparedness to extreme weather. And since extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and ferociousand more costly as a resultthe necessary upgrades to make homes more resilient, such as flood-proofing, make a ton of financial sense. Third, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from multifamily properties. And here the program took a page of out the bipartisan conservationist playbook, as a cleaner and more efficiently built and operated property requires less carbon to construct, heat, and power it. Theres another benefit to these emissions reductions, too: Cleaner and less-polluting homes lead to thousands fewer premature deaths and hospital visits per year for Americans. And it brings with it tens of billions of dollars in new economic benefits that come from healthier and more productive Americans. The financial data is clear and compelling on this. Retrofitting housing, then, couldnt be more American. Its good for American businesses who are contracted to do the upgrades, and its good for the Americans who are going to live healthier lives, save money on their utility bills, and be more protected, safer, and secure during the next superstorm. Now, lest more retrofitting programs get the axe by the Trump administration, it’s time for the U.S. courts to stand by congressionally appropriated program funding. Its also time for American communities to stand up for public-private partnerships that are good for American businesses, health, and pocketbooks. Its time to save the retrofits.
Category:
E-Commerce
Many leaders view employee activism as a disruption or threat. They see it as something to contain, avoid, or manage behind closed doors. This perception isnt surprising because activism challenges established hierarchies, questions the status quo, and introduces unpredictability into organizational life. Yet a 2007 study has shown that employees who feel heard are more engaged, innovative, and committed to their organizations success. In contrast, when employees feel ignored or dismissed, trust and morale decline, and disengagement is likely to set in. Activism is one form of voice, and is often the last resort when other channels have failed. The business case for listening The rise of social media has heightened concerns. Employees can bypass internal channels and take their concerns public, often in real-time. This new visibility amplifies reputational risk and fuels executive fears of losing control over the narrative. Leaders worry about backlash from customers, investors, and regulators or the derailment of strategic priorities. What executives need to consider is that activism can actually be an early warning of cultural misalignment or emerging ethical tension. When leaders reframe activism as a potential strategic insight rather than a threat, they can uncover the opportunities it offers. For example, McKinsey’s research notes that organizations with high psychological safety, where people feel safe speaking up, are more likely to innovate, adapt to change, and outperform peers. How to avoid common pitfalls Leaders often make the mistake of trying to silence or sideline dissent. This can take the form of tightening communication protocols, minimizing concerns, or casting vocal employees as disloyal or disruptive. These tactics might quiet the noise temporarily, but they rarely address the underlying issues. More often, they damage credibility, erode psychological safety, and drive dissent undergroundonly for it to reemerge later (likely louder and more polarized). Another common misstep is failing to address the gap between stated values and lived experience. Activism often arises when employees perceive an inconsistency. This is when what the organization claims to stand for doesn’t match what it does in practice. To maintain credibility, leaders need to assess how policies, behaviors, and decisions align with the organizations purpose on a regular basis. From dissent to dialogue: constructive responses To harness the insight, leaders need to respond thoughtfully and proactively. This begins by shifting from a defensive stance to one of curiosity and engagement. The following strategies can help: 1. Create safe, structured channels for discussion Before concerns surface on social media or in the press, employees should have clear, accessible ways to raise them internally. For example, town halls, anonymous feedback tools, or dedicated dialogue sessions. What matters most is that these forums are genuine, not tick-box exercises. When employees see that companies listen to their input, trust grows. 2. Lead with curiosity, not defensiveness When dissent arises, leaders often default to protecting the status quo or minimizing the issue. This instinct can escalate the conflict. Instead, leaders should ask: What are they really saying? Why now? What values or expectations are at stake? Constructive conversations start with a willingness to listen and understandeven when the message is uncomfortable to hear. 3. Cocreate solutions Where appropriate, involve employees in shaping the response. This collaborative approach builds shared ownership, improves solution quality, and signals a more inclusive, modern leadership style. It also helps move the conversation from complaint to commitment. Build leadership capability Engaging constructively with activism requires skill. Many leaders arent trained to manage dissent. Emotional intelligence, empathy, and influence are criticalbut often underdevelopedcompetencies. Investing in leadership development that strengthens these skills can help managers respond with confidence and care rather than fear or force. As Daniel Goleman advises, emotionally intelligent leaders can better navigate tension, build trust, and foster inclusive cultures. They recognize the value of differing perspectives and can engage in difficult conversations without becoming defensive. From risk to resilience In today’s complex and connected workplace, silence isnt a sign of harmonyit may be a sign of disengagement. Vocal employees, by contrast, are often deeply committed to the organizations mission and future. They speak up because they care. Leaders who recognize this have an opportunity to lead differentlymore openly, courageously, and effectively. Reframing activism as a source of insight rather than a reputational risk allows leaders to strengthen not just company culture but strategy. Listening well, responding transparently, and acting with integrity are the pathways to progress. When organizations respond to dissent with defensiveness, they fuel division. When they respond with curiosity and courage, they build the foundations for long-term trust, innovation, and shared success.
Category:
E-Commerce
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