Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath has named the one old school habit he believes Gen Z should revive, giving his answer in a rapid-fire "60 second master class" at the NDTV World Summit 2026.
Asked what youngsters should bring back, Kamath said: "Questioning. Curiosity." It was one of many short, blunt replies in a segment where he rarely used more than a handful of words.
The format put a young professional's dilemmas to him one after another. The interviewer began by describing a person as 25, underpaid and over-ambitious. Kamath's advice was brief: "Change jobs."
He returned to the theme when asked about the most common mistake people make in their 20s. "Not changing things enough," he said, adding that many people stick "to one thing for a long time".
Kamath, who left school at 14, was also asked whether he would make the same choice in an age of artificial intelligence. "Yeah, 100%," he said. Asked about the most overrated advice given to young people today, he replied: "Study a lot."
On money, he urged young Indians to spend more, arguing that cash is losing value quickly.
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Asked what is essential for a good life, Kamath said: "Something to look forward to."
On the personal front, he was asked whether his current situation of no marriage and no children might change. "Don't know," he said.
He also summed up the summit itself in three words. "Well organized and fun," Kamath said.
His answers lean towards experimentation: switch jobs, stay curious, spend rather than hoard, and avoid staying in one place for too long. They also push against the traditional emphasis on academic effort, a view that carries weight coming from a founder who left the classroom at 14.
The comments come as a generation entering the workforce weighs how to approach careers, savings and learning amid rapid technological change. For Kamath, the common thread across his replies was a willingness to question assumptions and keep moving.
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