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When the threat of a TikTok ban sent millions of users flocking to Xiaohongshu/RedNote as an alternative to the platform, Zaria Parvez, a senior global social media manager at Duolingo, saw an opportunity. She came up with a TikTok video concept in which Duolingo would teach Mandarin with a playful twist: Instead of textbook phrases, the lesson would feature Gen Z slang, like “My Shayla.” Within days, the video went viral, turning TikTok’s moment of crisis into a spotlight on the language-learning app.
“On the outside, it's like, ‘Oh my God, Duolingo just taught Gen Z phrases,’” says Parvez, who has spent the last four years cultivating the brand’s famously unhinged TikTok presence. “But the strategy really was, ‘All right, there’s this opportunity where we’re part of culture, but how do we push our product in a way that people actually want to digest it?’ In that instance it was taking my Gen Z instincts about common trending phrases and interjecting the brand messaging of language learning.”
While Parvez has challenged companies to trade their polished social media presence for a more authentic brand voice, YouTube's Angelica Song, who manages global social media marketing for the company, is reshaping industry norms from a different angle. By posting videos that break down the nuances of manager one-on-ones and promotion strategies, Song is turning traditionally opaque corporate processes into practical guides — and changing how millions of viewers think about their careers as well.
For Song, navigating the workplace is about striking the right balance between authenticity and strategy, knowing when to question norms and when to embrace them. She started her career at YouTube as an associate product marketing manager straight out of college before moving to global social media marketing, a path that has shaped her perspective on self-expression at work. “You want to assimilate before you can show your colors,” she explains. “Show up, be a great team player, and then, when you feel more comfortable and gain trust, you can really figure out what makes you stand out and what value you can bring.”
Over time, she’s learned that different professional settings call for different approaches. She believes employees should stick to more formal written communication, but she sees video calls and meetings as opportunities to let enthusiasm and personality shine.
For Gen Z, in particular, showing personality can mean leaning into self-deprecating humor. But as Parvez points out, the problem comes when that delivery starts to undermine ideas. “What just stinks is when Gen Z'ers walk in supercool and casual and what they’re saying is actually very strategic and smart, but they present it as ‘Whatever, lol, hehe,’” she says. “It’s so easy for people to undersell women, young talent, and people of color. I think use [self-deprecating humor] for your content to do well, but remove that when you’re in a workplace with senior leadership.”
Having members of different generations work together can be really effective, as each brings their own strengths to the table. On Duolingo’s social media team, for instance, this looks like Gen Z members leading content creation while more experienced colleagues focus on framing that content to highlight its business impact. “I think having this [generational diversity] has allowed us to not only shine in execution, but keep it long-lasting. We’ve been viral not just for two years, but for almost five,” Parvez says.
Song compares building multigenerational workplace relationships to making friends during school group projects. Teams might spend hours discussing presentation details, but the real bonding happens in the in-between moments, when you initiate casual, non-work conversations about music recommendations or weekend plans.
On a larger scale, Gen Z’s workplace impact goes beyond the flashy trends of “Bare Minimum Mondays” and “Revenge Quitting.” It’s through quieter, daily actions — like consistently logging off for nights and weekends — that young people are truly shifting office expectations. “Gen Z'ers are like, ‘Yeah, it's 4 p.m., I’m leaving’ or ‘I need this break,’” Parvez observes. “And I think it’s made other people on our team evaluate, ‘Why am I sitting here past 5?’”
These new considerations don’t stop at work-life boundaries. As the first members of Gen Z step into leadership roles, they’re also bringing with them a fresh focus on transparency, empathy, and purpose at work.
For Parvez, this means creating meaningful opportunities for her interns. Last summer, after learning about an intern’s background in comics and illustration, Parvez put her in charge of the company’s social campaign for a collaboration with Webtoon. The project was ambitious, but the intern excelled because she was working on something she was genuinely excited about.
“The biggest thing for me is creating the [internship] around the person [them]self, really investing in their potential and letting them go with it,” Parvez explains. “That means they’re probably going to message the wrong person or they’re going to accidentally say something they shouldn’t have. But," she continues, "a core part of our ethos on the social team and in our internship programs is, ‘I will always protect you. I will always value you. But I need you to stand up, put in the work, and probably make some mistakes along the way.’”
Parvez's team has a surprisingly simple tool for building trust: the word “pineapple.” When someone disagrees with an idea or needs some space, they can drop that word. “Using [‘pineapple’] to push back and building that trust from the beginning, as stupid as it sounds, makes [people] feel empowered to use their voice and not feel like they’re just doing what leadership is forcing them to do,” she says.
Building trust at the team level is crucial, but for change to last, it often needs to reach the top of the corporate ladder — and that’s still a major hurdle. Last year, 75% of executive meetings didn’t include a single Gen Z voice. Song sees two issues compound when leadership doesn’t change: Not only does it block new talent from advancing, but it lets old approaches become set in stone. For workplaces to truly evolve, we need more multigenerational decision-making tables, where experience is valued, but change is also welcomed.
