This is an argument built on one stereotype/assumption after another. 1) Many business critical projects have relatively short lifetimes. The use of hyper-lega

This is an argument built on one stereotype/assumption after another. 1) Many business critical projects have relatively short lifetimes. The use of hyper-legacy (avoiding the use of the word 'ancient' here) systems has more to do with the stability of well-known domains like accounting than any other factor. Other systems are business critical but meant to solve a short-term need, eventually being replaced by a better or more well-informed implementation. 2) Don't presume to know what everyone else likes to do. 3) Your implication is that "old dogs" are going to write code which is immediately legacy: they don't write tests (which is by no means a guarantee that code won't become 'legacy'); they don't use modern language features; indeed, that code without the use of modern language features is itself legacy. 4) I won't argue with this one, but with the same assumption you make in #3. 5) No-compete clauses are only illegal in a few jurisdictions like CA (in the US anyway). "Smart" employees tend to stay with employers that have an ethos of investing in their employees. In any case, I used to teach corporate training classes, and I can assure you that there is a healthy market of employers who do this. 6) Yes, people of all ages need to spend a significant amount of time investing in themselves, including 20-somethings. This is not a new thing, and indeed, "old dogs" are better at sniffing out where that time is best spent. The remainder of your argument are conclusions built on faulty premises. The problem of ageism in tech is multifaceted to be sure, and we all know developers who fit into the stereotypes you promote here. But to say that they are the primary cause is part and parcel of that same ageism, and ignores: * the role of capital in providing vast sums of money to inexperienced youth; * the hubris of that same youth; * the lack of diverse and inclusive cultural values within the US as a whole and Silicon Valley in particular; * and far from the least, the social and cultural aspects of media in influencing stereotypes (Forbes' annual 30-under-30, anyone?).