my opinion is that this is bull shitte https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/08/guys-gender-neutral/568231/ more at the link
Seconded. So this article is so aware, that it describes how use of the word "guys" can minimize women or impact transgendered. But then goes on to quote a linguist that "y'all" will never catch on because it is "associated with the South and blacks." Nice.
My Junior High English teacher, an older woman near retirement at the time, would scold girls in her classroom if they flipped genders in a word. She'd actually mark them down on their papers for doing it. She would say they invented a new word that didn't exist and had a big problem with it. Policewoman I think was the term that I recall. Essentially that woman is a derivation of the word man and that policeman referred to men and women alike. Personally, I don't really care. I'm partial to the older way that I was taught and sometimes I kind of cringe when someone, usually a young woman, gets upset over the use of policeman or fireman. Of course, language evolves and there's nothing inherently wrong in being more precise in language but it's just not something I care much about. I get more annoyed when men refer to women as girls than calling a woman a businessman or something.
I personally don't care as it's easy enough to not use the word guys. Plus it sounds more authoritative not to use words like guys or gals.
I use the plural salutation "things" -- encompasses all organisms, living and dead, as well as inanimate objects.
I usually use "everyone" or "all" in my professional work. Not even sure when that started to happen.