Generations & investment (4/7): Generation X (1959 to 1981)

According to William Strauss and Neil Howe's classification, Generation X refers to the sociological generation of Westerners born between 1959 and 1981. This generation lies between the baby-boomers and the older generation. Y. The "X" generation grew up while their boomer parents were at work. Their youth was marked by the decline of the Soviet empire and the advent of microcomputers, AIDS and globalization. They entered the job market in the last prosperous years before the dot-com bubble, but were soon disillusioned. Many of them became unemployed early in their careers. This generation experienced a professional trough, finding stable, well-paid jobs with difficulty.

Some of the "X's" have developed a certain bitternesssometimes expressed as aggression towards the values of the previous generation. Generation X hasn't been able to find its bearings, unlike its parents, who had just emerged from the Second World War and had to rebuild the country. As a result, Gen-Xers live in the shadow of the Boomers, seeking to break out of the "status-money-social climbing" pattern imposed on them by the Boomers.

Their parents' success, the new world order and AIDS have made the "X "s cynicsThey're rather passive, not very assertive and protective of their ideals, unlike Boomers. The "X" generation reject the rules but they don't fight them, preferring to avoid them or make fun of them. This generation has made the notion of a career with an employer obsolete. They simply change jobs when the going gets tough. They are also happy to trade pay rises or promotions for more free time. Unlike Boomers, their professional success is not the most important thing to them. They prefer to spend more time with family and friends. For them quality of life is a central theme. For the "Xs", team performance is more important than individual success.

The "Xs" are particularly computer-savvy, and experienced the magic of the early days of the Net. In those days, the modem made funny noises when connecting to the network.

X" heads of large companies or governments are still rare. This is understandable, given their relatively young age and their predecessors' thirst for power. The planned retirement of the boomers opens up a royal road for them. Nevertheless, it would be surprising to find as many natural leaders among the "X" as among the Boomers, given the importance they attach to the "X".work-life balance and less need for social success. In any case, the way in which the companies they will oversee operate is likely to be markedly different than in the past. What's more, as "X" generation members are more relationship-oriented, they are more likely than Boomers to consider the ethical consequences of their actions.

Google is a good example of corporate governance à la "X". Their product is simple to use, no-frills, user-friendly and, above all, free. Larry Page (1973) and Sergey Brin (1973) are the co-founders. They don't get much media coverage, don't put themselves forward and their team is more important than individual egos of them, which is quite the opposite of a Bill Gates or a Steve Jobs.

Google is known for its innovative, quality-of-life-oriented employment and work management policies. The company operates with a light, unrestrictive hierarchy, which is consistent with "X" employees' aversion to illiberal management. The autonomy they enjoy means that their workstations are less stressful. The schedule is made up of 80 % of work imposed by management and 20 % of time devoted to autonomous projects with no notable restrictions. Google also strives to create a motivating work environment. The Californian giant leaves its employees free to manage their workstation environment, and promotes the teamwork sought by the "Xs". Workplaces are also radically different from those of other companies: management offers its employees free use of numerous entertainment and wellness facilities. The Googleplex, the company's headquarters, features lounges, billiard rooms, sports fields, a swimming pool, massage and hairdressing services.

Google's slogan is "Don't be evil", which means always behave in a correct and ethical manner. ethics. To be in line with its sustainable developmentCar-sharing services are organized and trips between buildings are made by bicycle. The buildings are topped by several thousand solar collectors. In June, Mountain View injected $280 million into SolarCity, bringing its total investment in green energy to 680,000,000 $. In September, it teamed up with Clean Power Finance and invested $75 million to install solar energy systems on private homes, with the aim of democratizing solar energy among the general public.

A little Belgian history (real) which illustrates Google's "X" way of thinking: the case began in January 2006, when the American Internet giant launched its "Google News" service in Belgium, listing the main news headlines. Copiepresse, which manages the rights of French- and German-speaking publishers in Belgium, demanded that Google pay royalties to its members, or else stop referencing the articles they publish. Google chose the latter option, but also stopped referencing the newspapers' sites on its main search engine for several months, depriving them of a share of traffic. For 3 days, the consortium of Belgian newspapers went down on their knees to Google, begging them not to apply the court's decision to the letter (the judge's interpretation lacked the finesse the consortium would have liked to see). And finally, the Belgian newspaper websites are finally reindexed by Google. That's how you solve an "X" problem: you take it out of the equation. Cynical as hell. A far cry from boomer idealism, but devilishly effective nonetheless.

X" in the blogosphere

With the "X" generation, their attraction to work/life balance and their computer skills, the first blogs dedicated to wealth management and enrichment outside the workplace emerged.

http://www.olivier-seban.com/

http://www.investisseur-particulier.fr

http://genxfinance.com/

http://blog.crottaz-finance.ch/

http://morningbull.blog.tdg.ch/

http://www.dividendes.ch/

In our next article, we take a look at the Generation Y.