NEET Reaches New High, Another Cultural Phenomenon of AI Meme

“Work will become optional, and everyone will have a high income,” this is not the first time Musk has made such a statement.

Over the past year, Musk has expressed this view multiple times — AI will make work optional, and going to work will be like farming and growing food, transitioning from an ancient means of survival to a modern hobby. We will enter an era of high per capita income, no longer needing to work to sustain life.

However, he also mentioned in an interview last year that before humanity truly enters this utopian stage, we will experience confusion and painful upheaval.

AI is indeed causing unemployment.

@secureainow has launched a real-time tracking website in the United States that tracks layoffs due to AI, jobloss.ai. The website collects data on publicly disclosed AI-induced layoffs starting from January 1, 2025. From February 2025 to the present, in just one year, the number of publicly disclosed jobs lost due to AI has risen from 1,750 to 127,648. This may be one of the most undesirable "rapid increases" in history:

In a world of turmoil, with a sense of uncertainty and pain regarding employment prospects, a different kind of energy has emerged in the cryptocurrency market on the Solana network.

“We collectively bought an internet coin, and then we no longer have to work.”

$neet, over the past year, no other coin has been found on the Solana network — after experiencing three massive drops of over 80%, it was still able to hit a new all-time high market cap of \$47 million the day before yesterday.

Not in Employment, Education, or Training

Neet, meaning “Not in Employment, Education, or Training.”

This term sounds bleak and reminds us of concepts familiar in the Chinese context such as “lying flat” and “sanhe dashen.”

In July 1999, the phrase “Neet” first appeared in a report titled “Bridging the Gap” published by the UK Social Exclusion Unit, which surveyed unemployed and not in school youth. On March 15, 2005, Urban Dictionary user Rolf Mason submitted an entry for the word “Neet,” defining it as a sociological term “applicable to the socially underclass lacking motivation, drive, or ambition.”

With the development of AI, the uncertainty of employment prospects, and the turbulence of the world situation, a concept that can be traced back to the end of the last century has once again entered the mainstream view.

$111.2

"Neet" Appears on FOX 26 News Program

It is also under such a backdrop of the times that the cultural connotation of "Neet" has quietly undergone a change.

A Cry from the Youth

"Why can't I choose to lie flat?"

The "Sanhe Sage" originally referred to those who lost everything due to gambling and wandered in the Sanhe Talent Market in Shenzhen. They were in debt, some even sold their ID cards to make money and could not leave the Sanhe area. Losing hope for life, they have long been in a state of poverty and slack life, gradually getting used to this lifestyle of extreme low cost of living, "working one day and playing three days."

In 2020, the Sanhe Talent Market was relocated and the original site was rebuilt as the "Striver's Square." Then, in the following year, 2021, "lying flat" began to become a popular Internet term in China.

The core of culture will change with the development of the times. "Lying flat" first appeared on Baidu Tieba's "Anti-Marriage Bar" in 2011, became popular in fan circles in 2016, "lying flat in ridicule. This time I can't defend XX star, lie down well, let you mock."

By 2021, lying flat was seen as a response by the younger generation to the disappointment in the real environment, to phenomena such as class solidification, inner shrinkage, middle-class contraction, in-work poverty, and overwork. It was said, "Instead of inner shrinkage, it's better to lie flat." This phenomenon is not limited to China. In South Korea, there is the "Three-Abandon Generation" and even the N-Abandon Generation, who choose to abandon various life goals due to economic pressure. In the United States, the "Great Resignation Wave" has surged, with many people choosing to resign actively in response to work, an act referred to by economists and the media as the "Big Resignation."

And in an age of rapid AI development, whether it is "Neet" or "lying flat," the lost young people in confusion and despair no longer choose "passive resistance" but choose to "take the initiative":

"Have I really owned my own life if I waste 90% of my time on repetitive work day after day?"

"The world is so big, yet I live like an NPC."

「The 9-5 Life is a Scam.」

As the younger generation comes of age, the life and world that their grandparents and parents painted for them—study hard, get a good job; work hard, find a good partner; buy a house, buy a car, live happily ever after—has crumbled.

This collapse has led young people to no longer find their life's purpose and existential meaning through work. Work no longer provides them with identity and emotional connection. Coupled with the uncertainty of employment and the anxiety of unemployment, young people not only no longer believe in the traditional path to success but also harbor a widespread skepticism towards the traditional world order.

「Fate wanted me to learn to strive for knowledge, but I only understand absurdity.」

The redefinition of the 「Neet」 culture has addressed the biggest challenge of the $neet meme coin in its dissemination:

「Why would I buy a coin to associate myself with a group of people who lack ambition and indulge in self-destruction?」

「You are not lacking ambition; you are bravely fighting to reclaim your life.」

Brave Fighter

In the $neet community's view, 「Neet」 is their way of life and attitude, a 「cultural war.」

「I could also choose to be a dutiful office worker; if that kind of life can indeed make me feel passionate about life. But I must have the right to choose whether to work—to sacrifice time for money—in this life.」

One of the articles revered in the $neet community, the 「Top 10 Commandments of Neet」, is penned by the renowned meme coin trader @NEETOCRACY. The article emphasizes at the outset:

「Unemployment does not guarantee happiness or the meaning of life. Some freelancers are actually happier and freer than neets because they plan and optimize their own lives. Happiness is not as simple as quitting your job; it follows a set of guidelines that ensure a meaningful and happy life.」

These Ten Commandments include not dwelling on the past or the present (focus on people and things within reach in real life), spending more time outdoors, wise investment and consumption (no reckless speculation, no falling into the trap of consumerism), making friends, avoiding idle thoughts, maintaining a clean home environment, not becoming addicted to short videos, reading daily, staying fit, and embracing 「work minimalism」.

「Time is your most precious wealth. If you have to work the 9-5 grind to survive, then try to smartly complete your work, reducing the time it takes from your life.」

So, the $neet community is not entirely a group of unemployed people. On the contrary, some are still working, but in their eyes, the so-called "decent" jobs are the shackles they need to break free from.

The meme coin, as a cultural vehicle, has resonated with people of different languages and cultures worldwide, bringing them together through holding an asset. They are trying to humorously dissolve the seriousness and cruelty of society, initiating a truly cultural movement.

On May 20, 2025, the creators behind $neet were incentivized by pump.fun and held an offline "non-work" protest on Wall Street:

On October 3, 2025, they held another one in Times Square:

These guys are not just complaining about work; they are serious.

Marathon

For long-term holders of $neet, the past year has been a "marathon" trial in terms of gains, experiencing three significant drops of over 80%.

But the community does not see $neet as just a meme coin but as a cultural symbol. As community member @901Fin puts it:

"Meme coins are not merely speculative or fun assets; their essence is a concentrated cultural signal, reflecting how identity, finance, and the native internet community intertwine. Throughout multiple cryptocurrency cycles, people have consistently underestimated this aspect. They thought that due to the lack of traditional fundamentals, meme coins were meaningless, but they actually represent tokenized identity. They are financial belief systems, on-chain tribes, digital banners around which people rally."

Therefore, beyond dev, we can see community members worldwide capturing $neet in leisurely life scenes in the same photo:

We can also see community members like @neekneeo constantly hitting the streets, talking to passersby, asking about their views on work, and promoting the vision and ideals of $neet.

He even recorded a wild video while riding a rollercoaster

Within the community, a significant figure is $neet's dev @primed25, along with other key creators who have never left. In the current cryptocurrency market, where issuing a meme coin only costs $2 and lacks relevant constraints, spending every day for nearly a year wracking their brains to produce viral content is extraordinarily rare.

I refer to Primed as a crusader with unwavering faith, but he himself doesn't see it that way:

"I'm not a crusader. Cryptocurrency enthusiasts want to see a change in how the current market operates, and so do I. Tokens like $SPX and $MOG have shown 'what is possible,' which is also why I initially deployed $neet and fought for it."

His reason for the persistence is straightforward:

"A good coin is one that can resonate widely with people and make them voluntarily want to create content for it. They are passionate about the idea, not just for money. The significance of $neet is to spread 'what true neet culture really is.' Neet is not the homeless, self-indulgent wanderer in people's eyes, but it emphasizes and demonstrates what freedom we as humans can actually possess."

From the perspective of players, from the standpoint of a meme coin, $neet has already achieved tremendous success—it has survived for 1 year and broken its all-time high, being the only surviving and profitable token in the Glass Full Foundation of pump.fun, with holders such as Polymarket's market head, Hugo Martingale, and renowned crypto KOL Mitch.

From the creators' point of view, the tweets created by the Neet official account have frequently gone viral and have even been quoted and retweeted by Musk:

But whether for developers or creators, from a cultural perspective, their journey is far from over. Just like a phrase they often send to each other in the group chat:

「j*b not started」.