Sorry Gen X, You're the Least Likely Generation to Become the Next CEO

In partnership with

Three weeks ago, Apple’s current CEO just quietly outpaced Steve Jobs in tenure. No fanfare, no speeches. Tim Cook (a Baby Boomer) pushed past his predecessor (Steve Jobs) to become the longest-serving Apple CEO, with a 5,091-day tenure (Mac Rumors, 2025). It wasn’t a headline-grabbing moment, but it should be a signal to leaders. As Boomers cling to corner offices and Millennials charge forward, Gen X finds itself curiously being overlooked, or perhaps opting out.

The Barbell Gets Squeezed

Let’s call it what it is: the barbell effect. It’s the idea that Gen X is in the squeezed middle of two generations with large mass and big personalities. On one end, Boomers are holding executive seats longer than ever. They are extending their time in the workforce and holding onto those titles they coveted so much in their youth. On the other hand, Millennials are sprinting up the ladder. Being digitally fluent, they are pushing boundaries, taking risks, and are currently at the peak of their careers. What’s left? Gen X, about 15% smaller in population than either its predecessors or successors, generally quieter in ambition, is stuck in the middle. Today, they hold roughly 43% of CEO roles, still the largest generational block, but this number is shrinking fast as Millennials climb and Boomers delay exits.

I still argue Gen X is the hardest-working generation in the workforce, but their work ethic is being eclipsed by ambition, drive, and pride. Again. Sorry, Gen X, you seem typecast as the middle child.

To prove this out, let’s look at Jean‑Laurent Bonnafé (a Baby Boomer) at BNP Paribas, a bank managing over $2.9 trillion (USD) in assets. Just this May, shareholders approved raising the CEO age limit from 65 to 68, giving the 63-year-old an extended runway, possibly through 2031. The luxury conglomerate LVMH is seeking to raise the age limit for its chairman and CEO, Bernard Arnault (also a Baby Boomer who is currently 76), to 85. This follows a previous increase in 2022. Here are just two global examples of a policy shift to pack more continuity into the top office and fewer chances for upward mobility.

One could argue that when those tenures run out, they are not going to replace the CEO with a 60-something Gen Xer; they will likely look towards a 40-something Millennial. LinkedIn data projects Millennials will overtake Gen X in executive roles this year, with Millennials already at 45% vs. 46% for Gen X in executive roles.

These are not anomalies. They’re trends shaped by greater longevity and better health overall. People are living and working longer than ever. With life expectancy and healthy life expectancy rising across advanced economies, one can reasonably expect strong executive performance well into the late 60s and beyond.

Generation X: Smaller, Steady, Selective

Gen X, the generational cohort born from 1965 to 1980, is notably smaller than its generational neighbors. If Boomers and Millennials are larger populations statistically filling leadership roles, Gen X simply had fewer shots at that title.

And then there’s their upbringing: latchkey kids who learned independence early. They didn’t command attention. They delivered, consistently and quietly. They weren’t trained to grandstand, they were taught to grind, to work hard, to get it done. I said it once already in this article, and I’ll restate it: Gen X is truly one of the most diligent generations, in large part due to their self-reliance and responsibility applied to them as latchkey kids. They make great workers. But that output is not always seen as visionary or overly ambitious.

Millennials may bring big-picture (even grandiose) vision, Gen X brings grounded execution. Most times, they’re happy with that trade. They watched the cost of relentless ambition in their parents’ lives. Many don’t want the burnout that comes with climbing higher. They don’t want the personal sacrific of family and friends associated with the climb. They’d rather do the work and be home for dinner.

Gen X doesn’t lack ambition. Their ambition is calibrated differently: doing meaningful work, not chasing a “prestigious” title. They adapt to tech, balance life with work, and quietly get things done. Often, we see Gen X holding down lower and middle management roles. While Gen X makes up over half of U.S. managers, they’re underrepresented in the very top executives jobs compared to their numbers (PeopleScout/LinkedIn).

If leaders mistake quiet confidence for complacency, they miss out on a generation that bridges analog and digital fluency, that values stability in a volatile AI era. Gen X may not grab headlines, but they can steer organizations when storms hit.

Continue Reading Below → 

What’s at Stake and What Leaders Can Do

There are risks in missing the value Gen X brings: loss of resilience, loss of steadiness, loss of the kind of leadership that’s not flashy, but foundational. Organizations that bypass Gen X risk a leadership gap, as Boomers retire faster than Millennials can gain experience. Gen X departures already surged during the ‘Great Resignation,’ with resignation rates for this cohort rising more than 30% between 2020 and 2021 (PeopleScout).

To capture that value, companies could:

1. Create hybrid succession pathways that recognize different motivations, not reward only the vocal, but also the steadfast.

2. Elevate quiet leaders, offering visibility without forcing self-promotion.

3. Lean into Gen X as bridge mentors, particularly across generational divides where both knowledge and empathy are needed.

Leadership You Might Not See, But You Feel

Gen X was never chasing the badge. They saw how climbing a ladder could disrupt family balances. They are not lazy. They are hardworking. But they also don’t require the allocades to be consistent and fiercely loyal.

Gen X isn’t opting out of the corner office because they couldn’t keep pace; they chose a different pace. While they may not chase the status and title that both generations on either side of them crave, I would argue that they are some of the greatest leaders in the workforce. Their actions speak louder than words. They show up. They do great work. And often, they are balanced, holding professional and personal lives in a healthy tension. Their predecessors leaned heavily into work, and their successors lean heavily into leisure. But there Gen X is, positioned perfectly in the middle, a leader in modeling a great company-person.

So when the boardroom crowd gawks at flashy ambition or applauds long tenure, remember: sometimes the most durable leaders aren’t the loudest. They’re just quietly still here. Working hard. Steadily moving progress forward.