# Why a 53-year-old CEO scrolls TikTok every day

> Virgin Group's Josh Bayliss watches TikTok as a job requirement, not a habit, because the culture he sells into is being written by 20-somethings.
- Title: Why a 53-year-old CEO scrolls TikTok every day · Fortune
- Summary: Virgin Group's Josh Bayliss watches TikTok as a job requirement, not a habit, because the culture he sells into is being written by 20-somethings. If you…
- Keywords: leadership, gen z, tiktok, marketing, virgin, 53-year-old, CEO, scrolls, every, day, Fortune
- Source: Fortune — https://fortune.com/2026/09/13/virgin-group-ceo-josh-bayliss-scrolls-on-tiktok-gen-z-zeitgesit-younger-consumes-business-success
- Author: Preston Fore
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: leadership, gen z, tiktok, marketing, virgin
## CEOs are doomscrolling too
Gen X executives are on the same feeds as Gen Z, just for different reasons. Virgin Group CEO Josh Bayliss opens TikTok daily to read what younger people think and buy.
## He is not the content
Unlike McDonald's Chris Kempczinski or Costco's Ron Vachris, Bayliss doesn't star in his company's posts. He watches as a viewer and treats that as part of the job.
## The culture belongs to 20-somethings
Bayliss, 53, says the people setting the cultural agenda are three decades younger than him, and serving them is an obligation rather than a nice-to-have.

> The zeitgeist is not people in their 50s like me.
## One viral clip moves the market
More than 49.5 million Gen Zers are on TikTok, enough to reshape buying behaviour overnight. Virgin spans an airline, gyms, hotels, telecoms and space tourism, all exposed to that swing.

> You've got to have the volume turned up 24/7, honestly.
## Listening beats broadcasting
Brands now reply in comment sections instead of just posting at people. Virgin's social team answers its own commenters, signalling that someone is actually reading.

> Companies that embrace cultural fluency can build stronger communities and deepen brand loyalty.
## Cultural fluency is risk control
University of Florida instructor Evan Kropp says awareness goes past trending hashtags to hiring diverse creators and tracking real conversations. It also prevents expensive public missteps.
## The job never stops teaching
Richard Branson, who left school early, pushes lifelong curiosity. Indra Nooyi is blunter: reaching the corner office is the start of the hard part, not the finish line.

> When you become a CEO, the game just begins.
## Stankey's notecard system
AT&T's John Stankey seeks out younger reverse mentors, and when jargon flies past him in a meeting he fakes it, writes it down, then looks it up with a chatbot before bed.

> I pull the card out at night right before I go to sleep, and I go on the internet.
## Key takeaway

If you lead a consumer business, you cannot outsource knowing what your youngest customers care about.