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Here's an idea I've seen work: stop assuming people over 35 aren't a good fit for a start up. People who've been in leadership for a while but have the chops an

Here's an idea I've seen work: stop assuming people over 35 aren't a good fit for a start up. People who've been in leadership for a while but have the chops and in their day did on the ground work, and who can - given enough time and guidance - understand the minutest detail of a new tech stack or financial maneuver, command the respect of the super stars doing the day to day for their contribution of far seeing leadership.

samhuk 3y ago
Preface: I'm not saying that this norm is necessarily right, rather just explaining the mechanism that I believe is at play here. Isn't part of the issue that early on in a start-up, everyone is indispensable, and often that comes with putting in extra hours and going the "extra mile" for the viability of the company? When you are over 35, 30 even, you are much more likely to have a spouse, children, etc., and all these command more of your time that the business wants to capitalize on. Personally, I've seen some real rock-star engineers both at 20 and at 40, however more often than not for different reasons. Honestly, not once have I ever learned a decent life lesson from engineers around my age (I'de say I'm on the younger side), however it's been several highly memorable times that an engineer on the older side has pulled me away, given me some real hard-hitting, incredibly valuable engineering and life lessons, and changed my career and sometimes life for the better. It's a complex world!
- aardvark179 3y ago
  > Isn't part of the issue that early on in a start-up, everyone is indispensable, and often that comes with putting in extra hours and going the "extra mile" for the viability of the company? There seems to be a strong culture in American companies, and especially in startups, of rewarding heroic efforts. But if I see people putting in heroic efforts to get things done I tend to look for ways to not need those efforts in the future. Good experienced engineers can help ensure that you don’t keep having to go that extra mile to get the job done in the first place.

samhuk 3y ago

Preface: I'm not saying that this norm is necessarily right, rather just explaining the mechanism that I believe is at play here. Isn't part of the issue that early on in a start-up, everyone is indispensable, and often that comes with putting in extra hours and going the "extra mile" for the viability of the company? When you are over 35, 30 even, you are much more likely to have a spouse, children, etc., and all these command more of your time that the business wants to capitalize on. Personally, I've seen some real rock-star engineers both at 20 and at 40, however more often than not for different reasons. Honestly, not once have I ever learned a decent life lesson from engineers around my age (I'de say I'm on the younger side), however it's been several highly memorable times that an engineer on the older side has pulled me away, given me some real hard-hitting, incredibly valuable engineering and life lessons, and changed my career and sometimes life for the better. It's a complex world!

aardvark179 3y ago
> Isn't part of the issue that early on in a start-up, everyone is indispensable, and often that comes with putting in extra hours and going the "extra mile" for the viability of the company? There seems to be a strong culture in American companies, and especially in startups, of rewarding heroic efforts. But if I see people putting in heroic efforts to get things done I tend to look for ways to not need those efforts in the future. Good experienced engineers can help ensure that you don’t keep having to go that extra mile to get the job done in the first place.