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This is a very vague accusation of "age discrimination" with basically nothing backing it up. Someone who was supposed to be in a senior position didn't know h

This is a very vague accusation of "age discrimination" with basically nothing backing it up. Someone who was supposed to be in a senior position didn't know how to delegate and felt threatened when it happened. He decided to see things through a lens of "age discrimination" instead of contributing anything useful. Drama instead of work. Unsurprisingly, he is no longer employed at the company. It isn't to say age discrimination isn't a problem everywhere. It is. But this looks like a disgruntled employee story.

ted_dunning 4y ago
This isn't a matter of not being able to delegate. This is a matter of being cut out of the loop. Done right, these people would have reported to him or reported to a peer manager, but detailed to work with him to build a department. He would have been in on their interviews and selection. He would have been the key voice in structuring the department. Instead, these people reported to Starlink as opposed to SpaceX and he was forcefully cut out. Totally different dynamic.
- borissk 4y ago
  One can argue it was OP's mistake to not hire a few people himself, train them and delegate part of his responsibilities to them. This way he would have the management position he desired, he wouldn't have to work such long hours, taking a medical leave would not be a big problem, etc. Instead he left the responsibly to build a team to someone else and not that surprisingly was left out of the loop.
- i_like_apis 4y ago
  Either way - does it seem like a clear cut case of age discrimination? The same thing happens to young people regularly. I see your point. Though I would say delegation doesn't always have to imply senior-junior reporting structure. Giving work that had "your name on it" to your peers is something we have to be comfortable with. But if you do it well it tends to turn into that by nature.
notfromhere 4y ago
That's the thing about discrimination. It happens in small moments like this that add together toward career sabotage. It's always hard to prove on an individual basis because nobody writes down a plan to discriminate against specific employees and the initial response is always to blame the person experiencing it.
- i_like_apis 4y ago
  I have witnessed age discrimination throughout my career; I don't deny it exists or that it may have been a minor factor with anyone, but I don't buy it as the narrative for his story, or why things didn't work out for him at SpaceX. I have seen plenty of senior engineers handle themselves well and contribute effectively as individual contributors, leads, and in management. Sure, it's tough to get past the politics. People are often intimidated by senior experience and feel that older members put their own careers at risk. Part of the game is making sure people like and trust you, and part of that is certainly not whining. More often I have seen disgruntled employees of all ages and situations loudly proclaim some narrative to explain their grievance. Also, I think it's worth noting that dubious activist websites love to push salacious, unsubstantial hearsay, especially on click-bait.

ted_dunning 4y ago

This isn't a matter of not being able to delegate. This is a matter of being cut out of the loop. Done right, these people would have reported to him or reported to a peer manager, but detailed to work with him to build a department. He would have been in on their interviews and selection. He would have been the key voice in structuring the department. Instead, these people reported to Starlink as opposed to SpaceX and he was forcefully cut out. Totally different dynamic.

borissk 4y ago
One can argue it was OP's mistake to not hire a few people himself, train them and delegate part of his responsibilities to them. This way he would have the management position he desired, he wouldn't have to work such long hours, taking a medical leave would not be a big problem, etc. Instead he left the responsibly to build a team to someone else and not that surprisingly was left out of the loop.
i_like_apis 4y ago
Either way - does it seem like a clear cut case of age discrimination? The same thing happens to young people regularly. I see your point. Though I would say delegation doesn't always have to imply senior-junior reporting structure. Giving work that had "your name on it" to your peers is something we have to be comfortable with. But if you do it well it tends to turn into that by nature.

notfromhere 4y ago

That's the thing about discrimination. It happens in small moments like this that add together toward career sabotage. It's always hard to prove on an individual basis because nobody writes down a plan to discriminate against specific employees and the initial response is always to blame the person experiencing it.

i_like_apis 4y ago
I have witnessed age discrimination throughout my career; I don't deny it exists or that it may have been a minor factor with anyone, but I don't buy it as the narrative for his story, or why things didn't work out for him at SpaceX. I have seen plenty of senior engineers handle themselves well and contribute effectively as individual contributors, leads, and in management. Sure, it's tough to get past the politics. People are often intimidated by senior experience and feel that older members put their own careers at risk. Part of the game is making sure people like and trust you, and part of that is certainly not whining. More often I have seen disgruntled employees of all ages and situations loudly proclaim some narrative to explain their grievance. Also, I think it's worth noting that dubious activist websites love to push salacious, unsubstantial hearsay, especially on click-bait.