Logan Paul tells Gen Z they can turn any passion into a career—he’s turned Pokémon, YouTube, and wrestling into an empire worth millions

Gen Z is coming of age in a job market defined by uncertainty. AI is reshaping work, entry-level opportunities feel fragile, and a growing number of young people are stuck on the sidelines— labeled as NEET, not in employment, education, or training.

Self-made millionaire and social media star Logan Paul has little sympathy for those who don’t help themselves.

“We’re in an interesting time where everyone wants to critique, but no one wants to build,” Paul told Fortune in an interview. “They all are just armchair quarterbacks yelling from the sidelines while there are doers out there who are creating, making, building, establishing, and I am that person.”

First rising to fame as a teenager on now-defunct video app Vine, Paul has parlayed internet fame into a sprawling business empire—in part by relentlessly turning personal interests into commercial ventures. 

He built his early audience alongside his brother, Jake, then expanded beyond content creation through partnerships with fellow creators like KSI and MrBeast. He eventually used his following to launch consumer brands like Prime and Lunchly. Most recently, Paul has pushed further into the mainstream, signing on as a full-time WWE star. His YouTube subscribers now exceed 23 million, in addition to nearly 27 million Instagram followers.

But Paul insists his success has had less to do with algorithms or viral luck—and more to do with his strategic team-building over the years.

“The people that you’re putting your trust into to help build with you is probably the most important decision that you’re going to make,” he said. “Both my successes and failures have come as a result of that.”

Paul hopes to profit millions from his rare Pokémon card—an asset class that’s soaring among young investors

Pokémon has captivated fans for nearly three decades. But in recent years, the franchise’s trading cards have evolved from childhood collectibles into serious financial assets. 

Over the past two decades, Pokémon cards have posted the largest long-term increase of any major trading card category—rising 3,261%—according to data provided last year to Fortune by Card Ladder. That performance outpaces even many of the market’s hottest stocks. 

Paul has watched that shift up close. An avid collector of Pokémon cards, he turned his early childhood passion into a high-profile investment in 2022, when he purchased a rare Pikachu Illustrator card for $5.3 million—often wearing it as a necklace, both as a flex and a brand statement.

Now, alongside auctioneer Ken Goldin, Paul has put the card up for auction, betting that nostalgia, fandom, and smart dealmaking can drive outsized returns. As of publication, bidding had already topped $6.3 million—the highest price ever reached for a card at auction. Paul hopes it ultimately sells for between $7 million and $12 million.

Paul encouraged young people to consider looking more at “fun” nontraditional asset classes like art, trading cards, and even fossils over traditional stocks to combine passion with income.

“With anything you invest in, there’s always a level of risk, but young people have a significant amount of both energy and time to be able to calculate risk and then mitigate that risk,” Paul said.

Even if his card falls short of his desired range, Paul said the outcome still proves his larger point: opportunity is everywhere, if you’re willing to give it a try.

“If you’re into something and you’re passionate about it, there’s a market for it,” Paul said. “And you can build around it as long as you lean into it.”

That philosophy, he argued, is especially relevant for Gen Z navigating a rapidly changing economy.

“If you don’t adapt, you die,” he said. “You’ve got to be able to change with the times and use the technology at your fingertips. And there’s plenty nowadays to accomplish the things that you want.”

Goldin echoed that sentiment, saying career success is less about financial upside than about personal engagement.

“It’s not about how much money you’re going to make in the career,” Goldin told Fortune. “It’s about, am I going to enjoy it? Am I challenged? Am I looking forward to it?”

Business leaders like Warren Buffett have long echoed Paul’s advice: who you work with matters

From auctioning with Goldin to building brands alongside MrBeast—and collaborating repeatedly with his brother Jake—Paul’s career reflects the belief that durable businesses are built sustainably with the right people in the room.

That idea is one many business leaders have championed. Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, for example, has offered similar advice to young professionals.

“Surround yourself with people who challenge you, teach you, and push you to be your best self,” he wrote on X.

Berkshire Hathaway founder Warren Buffett has echoed this sentiment throughout his career.

“Don’t worry too much about starting salaries and be very careful who you work for because you will take on the habits of the people around you,” Buffett said at his final Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting last year. “There are certain jobs you shouldn’t take.”

For Buffett, the importance of having the right partnerships was embodied with Charlie Munger—who served as vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway from 1978 until he died in 2023. Buffett often described Munger as a “part older brother, part loving father,” crediting him with sharpening his thinking and challenging his assumptions. 

“Every time I’m with Charlie, I’ve got at least some new slant on an idea that causes me to rethink certain things,” Buffett said to CNBC.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com