Generation Z: A to Z

Generation Z is now the largest cohort in the workforce and a decisive share of consumer spending, and most of what organizations believe about them is two years out of date. They do not discover products on Google. They do not trust advertising that looks like advertising. They change jobs, banks, and brands faster than any generation before them, and they explain why in public.

What the keynote covers

Generation Z: A to Z is a complete, data-driven walk through how this generation lives, works, and spends. Matt Britton has studied youth culture for 25 years, wrote the bestseller YouthNation on Millennials, and founded Suzy, the consumer intelligence platform that surveys verified U.S. consumers in real time. That means the numbers on stage are weeks old, not years old.

The session covers discovery and purchase behavior, including the shift from search to social to AI-mediated recommendations; media habits and where attention actually lives; the creator economy and why peer influence outperforms brand messaging; authenticity and trust dynamics, including what makes Gen Z defend a brand and what makes them drop it overnight; and Gen Z at work, from what they expect of managers to why they leave.

Why it matters now

Every strategy built on Millennial assumptions is quietly aging out. Gen Z is entering their peak earning years as AI reshapes how everyone shops and works, and they are the first generation to adopt AI-mediated decision making at scale. Brands that understand this shift now will own the defaults; brands that do not will be chosen by an algorithm they never influenced.

Matt closes with what this means for the room: the specific moves marketing, product, HR, and leadership teams can make this quarter, with examples pulled from the audience's own industry during discovery.

Who books this keynote

CMOs and brand teams, insights and research organizations, HR and talent leaders, financial services firms serving Gen Z investors and borrowers, real estate organizations working with first-time buyers, and industry associations. Sessions run 45 to 75 minutes and can be paired with a Gen Alpha segment for a full generational view.

• How Gen Z discovers, evaluates, and buys, and where search, social, and AI now fit.
• The trust equation: what earns Gen Z advocacy and what ends it.
• Current consumer data from Suzy on Gen Z spending, media, and work attitudes.
• What Gen Z expects from employers and managers, and how to retain them.
• Quarter-level actions for marketing, product, and talent leaders.