In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the usual rules of workplace seniority did not seem to apply to workers in their twenties and early thirties. The dotcom boom was empowering this cohort of youngsters – sometimes known as Generation X – to seize status and wealth with astounding precocity. The dotcom bust exposed that trend as an illusion, forcing the upstarts to serve their time in junior roles. An end to the punishment is in sight, however. Now in their thirties and early forties, many Xers should reach the apex of their power between 2010 and 2020, according to conventional wisdom that suggests white-collar workers peak in their late forties and early fifties (the average FTSE 100 chief executive is 52).
在上世纪90年代末和本世纪初，通常的职场资历规则似乎并不适用于那些20多岁和30岁出头的员工。互联网热潮让这群年轻人——有时被称为X一代(Generation X)——以惊人的早熟姿态获得了地位和财富。互联网泡沫破灭表明这种趋势只是假象，迫使那些职场新人在初级职位上熬年份。然而，现在看来这种惩罚有望结束。目前许多30多岁和40岁出头的X一代应该会在2010年至2020年间攀上权力巅峰，因为传统的观点认为，白领工作者的事业会在45岁到55岁之间达到巅峰（富时100指数成份股公司首席执行官的平均年龄是52岁）。