In Silicon Valley, age can be a curse

[Newsjock]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

... But if demand is outstripping supply, how come so many skilled IT professionals in the Bay Area are out of work? In a nutshell, job experience in the tech industry matters far less than it once did. In fact, it can work against you.

"It's been quite a shock, coming out of my last job, which I had for 11 years," said Robert Honma, 49, of Sunnyvale, his resume filled with senior tech positions in multinational companies and small startups. He's been out of work for 10 months. "The Facebooks, the Googles are driven by the young."

Mark Zuckerberg agrees. "I want to stress the importance of being young and technical," Facebook's CEO (now 28) told a Y Combinator Startup event at Stanford University in 2007. "Young people are just smarter. Why are most chess masters under 30? I don't know. Young people just have simpler lives. We may not own a car. We may not have family. Simplicity in life allows you to focus on what's important."

... "There's definitely age discrimination, but it's awfully hard to prove," said Cliff Palefsky, an employment law attorney in San Francisco, who gets regular calls from older tech workers shut out of the new world. "In your 40s or 50, you're in your prime, but not in Silicon Valley, where everything has been moved up 10 years. It makes for a particular awkwardness between an older applicant and a younger interviewer."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/business/bottomline/article/In-Silicon-Valley-age-can-be-a-curse-4742365.php

[JNelson6563]

1. Hate to tell ya this

but it's the case everywhere and in all walks of life. Younger people starting out will work for less.

I don't care what sort of ageist pap Fuckerberg spews.

Julie

[pnwmom]

23. But in many fields experience is valued more highly.

For example, law and medicine.

[lumberjack_jeff]

2. "Hard to prove"? It is if you refuse to listen to words coming out of Zuckerberg's mouth. n/t

[Safetykitten]

3. Yes, and we all know this is only localized to Silicon Valley. Just there. Very unique.

[TheMastersNemesis]

4. Agism Is A Pandemic And More Prevalent Now Than In Recent History - Particularly In Employment

Age is a curse in every way now. Employers don't want you by the time you are 40 and have family obligations and pre existing health conditions. Companies don't want anyone to accumulate any benefits on the job. They cost money.

Politicians don't want older people around because they might eventually get Social Security or Medicare.

The young of today have never known any kind of job security or social contract. They have been convinced that we do not need one. Young white males are particularly brainwashed. They believe they are like a star quarterback who will always be demand.

[malthaussen]

5. Pretty clear from Zuckerberg's quote he doesn't have simplicity in his life.

[kentauros]

7. Nor does he appear to have much in the way of "intelligence."

Let's put him up against Elon Musk and see how he fairs in that regard.

[Safetykitten]

8. I am sure they would be great together, Musk is just better at talking.

[kentauros]

10. I used the example of Musk

because he's over 30, as is the subject of the OP. Also, Musk appears to know more, due to experience, and has done more with his wealth, and education. Zuckerberg created Facebook. Big deal. I continue to find message boards superior at communication with large groups, socializing, and networking.

[on point]

6. There are no shortage of qualified workers. This is a scam by employers to import cheap labor.

[winter is coming]

9. "We may not have family."

Translation: we want to hire people who'll work 80+ hours a week for "salary" without complaining.

[ladjf]

11. Zuckerberg's comment that "Young people are just smarter" doesn't sound like a very smart

statement. My guess is that when and if Mr. Zuckerberg ever reaches old age, he will probably
want to modify his ageist remark.

[Butterbean]

14. I was just gonna say, it's going to be mighty entertaining to watch

that comment come back and bite Zuckerberg in the ass in a couple of decades. Mmm, schadenfreude....delicious.

[ladjf]

17. Maybe sooner. His remark could cost him money in future age discrimination litigation. nt

[Butterbean]

19. Truth. Didn't think of that. I also notice how

they make the distinction between "older applicants" and "younger interviewers." Interesting choice of language there.

[kestrel91316]

12. Zuckerberg considers family "not important". His poor wifey.

[haele]

13. Most chess masters under 30? or just the publicized ones? Zuckerberg, you're either a tool -

Or pretending you're going to be "forever young", 'cause we all know that life is like the movie "Logan's Run", where only the rich and pretty can afford to exist beyond the age of 30.
Or perhaps you're both.

BTW, pop culture has always hyped the "child genius" model of hero. That's because the target demographic for people wanting to sell mass amounts of crapola is mainly comprised of the young and full-of-themselves who are willing to buy because they're being flattered.
I find that young engineers are more likely to make mistakes by taking random shortcuts because they think they "know the rules", but don't really understand why the rules were in place. Physics is still the Law, and by Dog, it's still going to be followed until Technology advances enough to tweek it a bit.

True, to compensate for mistakes through inexperience, they are more able (or willing) to work 72-hour straight weeks every other month or so to fix those mistakes in judgment. Older engineers are not going to make those sorts of mistake.

Still, Mr. Zuckerberg - don't mistake being attractive, lucky or energetic for being "smarter".

Haele

[snooper2]

15. This is simple to explain

There are only so many positions in management-

So if you are senior something or middle management after moving up over 20 years, you better stay sharp and current. Spending 75%+ of your time managing people and projects instead of reading up on say ( http://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc6849/ ) a new RFC that came out expect to be culled from the herd.

[Egalitarian Thug]

16. Older professionals are not as timid, so between younger being cheaper and less likely

to question authority, combined with laws specifically written to protect employer's criminal acts, 40 is the end of the line in tech.

OTOH, In my line I see a renaissance of creativity and entrepreneurship among those in this demographic that is being stifled by what is plainly collusion to choke off capital.

[Xithras]

18. Ah yes, it's the "If you're not rich by 40, you're not very good" mentality.

While ageism happens everywhere, I've worked in and around the Silicon Valley tech scene since the 1990's, and they have their own particular brand of ageism. There's an odd presumption that successful programmers should be wealthy by the time you're 40, and that if you're not, it's because you're "obviously" not very good at what you do. Why would anyone want to hire an employee who has clearly demonstrated substandard skills?

Part of the mentality is a form of self-protection for the people who work in these companies. Most younger Silicon Valley workers are still under the illusion that THEY will work hard and become rich someday as well, and that their billion dollar startup idea is right around the corner. While most won't ever come anywhere close to that kind of success, acknowledging the fact that there are highly skilled senior programmers who AREN'T rich means acknowledging the fact that they might never get rich themselves. It's a form of denial.

If you don't have a million in the bank by 30, you're mismanaging your career. If you don't have several successful startups under your belt by 40, along with a few million in the bank, you're clearly a failure at your job and are probably beyond redemption. Or so the thinking goes anyway.

[snagglepuss]

21. Excellent observations. I have wonder thether having employees over 40 probably destroys

illsuions companies want to create for their younger employees that their dedication will pay off big time.

[Xithras]

22. I bought into it.

I spent my 20's sleeping in cots in cubicles in the 1990's, while under the influence of this idea that I'd be worth at least a few hundred million by the time I was 40. Everything I was told, by everyone who told me, convinced me that it was a given. Most young developers in the Silicon Valley today still have that impression. I can tell you that, when I was teaching up until last year, around 90+% of my students really believed that they'd be retiring before 30. I tried to set them straight more times than I could count, but nobody really paid my opinion much attention.

I've actually had a very successful career overall, but the reality that I'd never be a billionaire or have my own private island took a while to sink in. The fact that there were no old programmers around certainly reinforced that idea.

[Egalitarian Thug]

20. Kicking. Story keeps being reposted, so...

[Warren DeMontague]

24. Yep.

Not right, but not terribly surprising, either.