Gen Z hates work. That seems fair enough, at least at first glance. At the same time, the CEO of Anthropic, Dario Amodei, is complaining that his employees care more about their salaries than the company’s mission. That complaint is much harder to defend, but it inadvertently points to a broader question that relates to a growing culture of labor dropouts.

Work has long been a source of individual expression, prosocial organization, and cooperation toward shared goals. Dismissing all labor out of hand as evil — or mere necessary toil — overlooks the distinction between work as purpose-driven human activity and wage labor as the exploitative, boss-driven form work takes under capitalism.

Communities require work. And complex communities — such as any contemporary city, region, or state — require many different kinds of it. Much of this work is difficult and specialized. Much of it is not. But it is all essential to keeping the lights on. To say so isn’t to condone exploitation, low wages, or poor working conditions, nor is it to suggest that those who are unable to work ought not to be treated with dignity, respect, and care.