There are more (much more) examples of young projects dying than old projects. This is called the Lindy effect: that which has survived tends to survive. Taleb

There are more (much more) examples of young projects dying than old projects. This is called the Lindy effect: that which has survived tends to survive. Taleb first used the term Lindy effect but it has been noted before. Taleb suggested that if something non-perishable has survived for a long time its expected remaining survival is just as long, for example if a book has been in print for 40 years it is expected that it wil remain in print for another 40 years. The point is that projects, books, and other non perishables don't have a life expectancy like biological organisms, they're actually more likely to live on if they've endured a long time.