The oldest Gen Alphas are still in high school, but some of the early reviews have been scathing. Unruly. Nihilistic. Bad at reading. Yet when Bloomberg Businessweek’s Stacey Vanek Smith dug into the research, she emerged with a more optimistic view on the most online generation yet. Tech savvy. Globally minded. Also, preternaturally good at skincare.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Smith tells host David Gura about the cohort that accounts for $100 billion a year in direct spending power in the US alone – and what it might look like when it begins to enter the workforce.

Read more: Gen Alpha Can’t Be Ignored

We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

Hosted by David Gura; Produced by David Fox; Reported by Stacey Vanek Smith; Edited by Jeffrey Grocott.

Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.

Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

The oldest Gen Alphas are still in high school, but some of the early reviews have been scathing. Unruly. Nihilistic. Bad at reading. Yet when Bloomberg Businessweek&rsquo;s Stacey Vanek Smith dug into the research, she emerged with a more optimistic view on the most online generation yet. Tech savvy. Globally minded. Also, preternaturally good at skincare.
On today&rsquo;s Big Take podcast, Smith tells host David Gura about the cohort that accounts for $100 billion a year in direct spending power in the US alone &ndash; and what it might look like when it begins to enter the workforce.
Read more: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-17/gen-alpha-born-between-2010-and-2024-is-driving-consumer-spending">Gen Alpha Can&rsquo;t Be Ignored</a>
We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts">Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.</a>
Hosted by David Gura; Produced by David Fox; Reported by Stacey Vanek Smith; Edited by Jeffrey Grocott.
Fact-checking by Laura Newcombe; Engineering by Alex Sugiura.
Senior Producer: Naomi Shavin; Deputy Executive Producer: Julia Weaver. Executive Producer: Nicole Beemsterboer.

The Big Take from Bloomberg News brings you inside what’s shaping the world's economies with the smartest and most informed business reporters around the world. The context you need on the stories that can move markets. Every afternoon.

The Big Take from Bloomberg News brings you inside what’s shaping the world's economies with the smartest and most informed business reporters around the world. The context you need on the stories that can move markets. Every afternoon.

Big Take

The $100 Billion Gen Alpha Economy

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/269284f4-43ed-4fdf-9737-b44a010ee8ac/transcript