4 ms·

The irony of a 32-year-old considering himself "old" and claiming that therefore ageism doesn't exist at YC is great. I'm not saying YC is at all ageist, but th

by seldo 16y ago

The irony of a 32-year-old considering himself "old" and claiming that therefore ageism doesn't exist at YC is great. I'm not saying YC is at all ageist, but the fact that at 32 he believes it would already apply to him speaks volumes about how endemic ageism is in tech.

pg 16y ago
I wouldn't read too much into it. I think he simply meant he's old in the sense of not a college kid-- that he has a wife and kids etc. You probably know better if you are an HN user, but a lot of people still think that YC only funds 22 year olds.
- kellyreid 16y ago
  as a 26 year old single man, I must say it takes a lot of stress away when I don't have to explain it to my SO, my son/daughter, etc. I also don't have to worry if someone else will starve (I can handle myself, of course). That said, for those entrepreneurial types, age is rarely a factor outside of family concerns. I"m just glad i have the opportunity to try this before I get married and settle down.
  - BerislavLopac 16y ago
    Why would you marry at all? As you point out yourself, before you succeed it carries a lot of ballast, and increases the risk; and once you're successful, why would one want to tie himself (or herself, for that matter) down?
    - kellyreid 16y ago
      i'd prefer to be in a stable relationship while working for myself. it is helpful to have an "anchor" person who gets what you're doing, at least, or abides its because they love you. when you spend all your time pitching somewhat crazy ideas and getting them shot down, its nice to be able to come home to someone who doesn't need to be "sold" on anything.
      - dirktheman 16y ago
        Me too. My wife is not tech-savvy at all, which is great because it forces me to talk to her as a regular person about my startup.
    - btilly 16y ago
      Ah, youth. When you fall in love, you fall in love. Spending time on the relationship at that point is highly worthwhile. And kids are their own reward. Seriously, most of us come hard wired to want kids, and a large portion never realize that until you have your own. But if you're not ready, then by all means don't get married. But be aware that you're missing out.
      - BerislavLopac 16y ago
        The only thing you're missing is a lot of misunderstandings, unreasonable demands and endless fights. Who would want that?
        csallen 16y ago
        That's a pessimistic worst-case scenario way to look at it. The same could be said of almost anything else. Why make friends? Why post on Hacker News? Why read books, or watch TV, or leave your house? It's never enough to say "Bad things can happen" and leave it at that. You need to make the case that the costs outweigh the benefits.
        projectileboy 16y ago
        I've been very happily married for 10 years, so I wouldn't so readily dismiss it, but if it seems constricting to you, then that's cool - don't do it. Not directed at you, but at the overall thread: honestly, I don't completely get why folks get so revved about others' decisions to get/not get married and have/not have kids. How are your lifestyle choices threatening to my lifestyle choices?
        prawn 16y ago
        People feel threatened? Grass is always greener, etc. Each path has its pros and cons. People would prefer to feel more comfortable in their choice. That's why they do, not why they should though.
        chollida1 16y ago
        That sentence could also be used to describe why not to start a startup:) I'd venture that most startup founders experience all of those things. I know I have:)
    - tommy_mcclung 16y ago
      As it turns out, there is no way I could have done CarWoo! without my wife's support. But that's a topic for another blog post. Go figure.
      - kellyreid 16y ago
        I'd like to read more about relationships and dating for entrepreneurs. i find it frustrating to explain what I do to women I meet, and even more frustrating when they don't "get" that, yes, just because it's 3am doesn't mean I'm not at work.
        EthanD 16y ago
        But the right woman who does get it is really quite special. My girlfriend has been really supportive of my projects and business effort, and it really means a lot.
        deleted 16y ago
        [deleted]
      - kirvyteo 16y ago
        I can relate. I am 33 and married, no kids. The only difference for me before and after (getting married) is the amount of time you have available for your startup before you need to spend time with your wife or kids. Age is not a factor, the amount of time you have is the factor. But having someone supportive, wife or gf, is really a big plus. And it really helps a lot when you use them as a listener to pitch your idea to. They come up with amazing questions.
    - JabavuAdams 16y ago
      > and increases the risk Not necessarily true. When you marry (or settle in for the long-term) with the right partner, you help each other develop. For example my wife and I have very complementary aptitudes. We've helped each other to grow and to become more competent people. Alone, we're pretty good, but together, we're awesome.
    - chollida1 16y ago
      > Why would you marry at all? If you are lucky, one day you can answer this for yourself.
- Sukotto 16y ago
  Out of curiosity, what's the oldest applicant you guys have accepted into the program? How did that person do?
tommy_mcclung 16y ago
That's a great point, although I guess I should have said "old in life situation". I have kids, a house, etc... It's not just about your age but also about how much baggage you carry with you. Obviosly it's easier to do a startup if you are younger because you don't carry the baggage with you.
johngalt 16y ago
I've worked in tech since I was very young and I have always had nothing but respect for the older guys. Where do you think I learned from? We are judged on our skills and not our age. If that wasn't the case I would immediately submit a YC app to start an IT outsourcing shop that hired only people over forty. I'd take all those hungry underutilized experts and crush the competition! I think the real issue here is precisely that we aren't judging people by their age. In <generic industry> the number of years of experience are the predominate method of determining skill/compensation and that's not necessarily true in tech. So people look at the difference and scream ageism!

by seldo 16y ago

pg 16y ago

I wouldn't read too much into it. I think he simply meant he's old in the sense of not a college kid-- that he has a wife and kids etc. You probably know better if you are an HN user, but a lot of people still think that YC only funds 22 year olds.

kellyreid 16y ago
as a 26 year old single man, I must say it takes a lot of stress away when I don't have to explain it to my SO, my son/daughter, etc. I also don't have to worry if someone else will starve (I can handle myself, of course). That said, for those entrepreneurial types, age is rarely a factor outside of family concerns. I"m just glad i have the opportunity to try this before I get married and settle down.
- BerislavLopac 16y ago
  Why would you marry at all? As you point out yourself, before you succeed it carries a lot of ballast, and increases the risk; and once you're successful, why would one want to tie himself (or herself, for that matter) down?
  - kellyreid 16y ago
    i'd prefer to be in a stable relationship while working for myself. it is helpful to have an "anchor" person who gets what you're doing, at least, or abides its because they love you. when you spend all your time pitching somewhat crazy ideas and getting them shot down, its nice to be able to come home to someone who doesn't need to be "sold" on anything.
    - dirktheman 16y ago
      Me too. My wife is not tech-savvy at all, which is great because it forces me to talk to her as a regular person about my startup.
  - btilly 16y ago
    Ah, youth. When you fall in love, you fall in love. Spending time on the relationship at that point is highly worthwhile. And kids are their own reward. Seriously, most of us come hard wired to want kids, and a large portion never realize that until you have your own. But if you're not ready, then by all means don't get married. But be aware that you're missing out.
    - BerislavLopac 16y ago
      The only thing you're missing is a lot of misunderstandings, unreasonable demands and endless fights. Who would want that?
      - csallen 16y ago
        That's a pessimistic worst-case scenario way to look at it. The same could be said of almost anything else. Why make friends? Why post on Hacker News? Why read books, or watch TV, or leave your house? It's never enough to say "Bad things can happen" and leave it at that. You need to make the case that the costs outweigh the benefits.
      - projectileboy 16y ago
        I've been very happily married for 10 years, so I wouldn't so readily dismiss it, but if it seems constricting to you, then that's cool - don't do it. Not directed at you, but at the overall thread: honestly, I don't completely get why folks get so revved about others' decisions to get/not get married and have/not have kids. How are your lifestyle choices threatening to my lifestyle choices?
        prawn 16y ago
        People feel threatened? Grass is always greener, etc. Each path has its pros and cons. People would prefer to feel more comfortable in their choice. That's why they do, not why they should though.
      - chollida1 16y ago
        That sentence could also be used to describe why not to start a startup:) I'd venture that most startup founders experience all of those things. I know I have:)
  - tommy_mcclung 16y ago
    As it turns out, there is no way I could have done CarWoo! without my wife's support. But that's a topic for another blog post. Go figure.
    - kellyreid 16y ago
      I'd like to read more about relationships and dating for entrepreneurs. i find it frustrating to explain what I do to women I meet, and even more frustrating when they don't "get" that, yes, just because it's 3am doesn't mean I'm not at work.
      - EthanD 16y ago
        But the right woman who does get it is really quite special. My girlfriend has been really supportive of my projects and business effort, and it really means a lot.
      - deleted 16y ago
        [deleted]
    - kirvyteo 16y ago
      I can relate. I am 33 and married, no kids. The only difference for me before and after (getting married) is the amount of time you have available for your startup before you need to spend time with your wife or kids. Age is not a factor, the amount of time you have is the factor. But having someone supportive, wife or gf, is really a big plus. And it really helps a lot when you use them as a listener to pitch your idea to. They come up with amazing questions.
  - JabavuAdams 16y ago
    > and increases the risk Not necessarily true. When you marry (or settle in for the long-term) with the right partner, you help each other develop. For example my wife and I have very complementary aptitudes. We've helped each other to grow and to become more competent people. Alone, we're pretty good, but together, we're awesome.
  - chollida1 16y ago
    > Why would you marry at all? If you are lucky, one day you can answer this for yourself.
Sukotto 16y ago
Out of curiosity, what's the oldest applicant you guys have accepted into the program? How did that person do?

tommy_mcclung 16y ago

That's a great point, although I guess I should have said "old in life situation". I have kids, a house, etc... It's not just about your age but also about how much baggage you carry with you. Obviosly it's easier to do a startup if you are younger because you don't carry the baggage with you.

johngalt 16y ago

I've worked in tech since I was very young and I have always had nothing but respect for the older guys. Where do you think I learned from? We are judged on our skills and not our age. If that wasn't the case I would immediately submit a YC app to start an IT outsourcing shop that hired only people over forty. I'd take all those hungry underutilized experts and crush the competition! I think the real issue here is precisely that we aren't judging people by their age. In <generic industry> the number of years of experience are the predominate method of determining skill/compensation and that's not necessarily true in tech. So people look at the difference and scream ageism!