Young Americans facing tighter entry-level job markets, rising housing costs, and growing personal debt are responding in different ways. Some pour money into speculative bets such as prediction markets and cryptocurrencies. Others focus intensely on retirement savings. A growing subset of Gen Z (roughly those born 1997–2012) is taking a different path: building their own businesses and stacking multiple income streams as a hedge against economic uncertainty and AI-driven job disruption.
Micah Stanley is one of them. Three years ago, the 24-year-old worked nights as a janitor at a Nebraska high school. He never finished high school. Today he drives a 2019 Lamborghini Urus around Cleveland and posts YouTube videos teaching others how to “break free” from traditional employment.
His vehicle: vape vending machines. Stanley says he now earns as much as $75,000 a month in profit from roughly 150 machines placed in bars and clubs. The units feature digital screens and sell flavored vape pens and Zyn nicotine pouches rather than the usual snacks and drinks.
Stanley’s story captures a broader shift. Faced with a challenging job market and anxiety about artificial intelligence displacing entry-level roles, some young people are skipping the corporate ladder altogether. They are launching side hustles and small businesses that promise greater control and multiple revenue streams instead of relying on a single paycheck.