Don't forget the venerable http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_Sanders http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_Sanders from my home-state who started franchising

Don't forget the venerable http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_Sanders http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonel_Sanders from my home-state who started franchising KFC at 65. How long does a successful startup take to build once you hit the proper idea, 5-10 years? You regularly see professional athletes working into their 40s, I find it hard to believe physical degradation is more significant for programming than it is for athletics. I think one thing that happens is that people get older, have families and at this point the risk becomes much higher and the drive drops quite a bit lower - if you've got your wife selected already and a few kids and a good salary, it's a lot easier to just accept that life.