4 ms·
The ageism, to me, is the biggest sign that most of Silicon Valley "innovation" is bullshit. It takes time to get to the forefront of an already-explored area,
by michaelochurch 13y ago
The ageism, to me, is the biggest sign that most of Silicon Valley "innovation" is bullshit.
It takes time to get to the forefront of an already-explored area, and to become a good software engineer. People who get there by 25 are extremely rare (maybe 1 in a few million). Some people peak early and some peak late, but the median (across the arts, sciences, mathematics, and technology) is around 45-55 and for technology it should be, if anything, later.
But most Silicon Valley "innovation" is bullshit and doesn't need high-power people. It needs an image of "newness" and that requires youth. It needs people who can exploit the chickenhawk instinct of venture capitalists, and that requires youth as well.
- drstewart 13y agoStrong words. I assume you feel the same way about the field of mathematics then -- that it's all "bullshit chicken-hawking?" http://legendofpi.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/do-mathematicians-peak-in-their-late-20s/ http://legendofpi.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/do-mathematicians... http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/25/science/la-sci-sn-numbers-age-20120625 http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/25/science/la-sci-sn-nu... http://www.massey.ac.nz/~rmclachl/overthehill.html http://www.massey.ac.nz/~rmclachl/overthehill.html https://www.dpmms.cam.ac.uk/~rdc26/zoop2.pdf https://www.dpmms.cam.ac.uk/~rdc26/zoop2.pdf
- ama729 13y agoGauss is an obvious counterpoint though, he made important discoveries well into his 70's: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauss#Later_years_and_death_.281831.E2.80.931855.29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauss#Later_years_and_death_.2... Relevant comic with a list of old scientists: http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1833#comic http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1833#comic
- waterlesscloud 13y agoYour third reference spends most of its time supporting Michael's point, in much the same language. "In fact, Mr. Simonton found that mathematicians make their best research contributions (which he defined as the ones mentioned most often by historians and biographers in reference books) at what many might consider doddering old age: 38.8. That age is very similar to those he found in other sciences: 40.5 in biology, 38.2 in physics, and 38.0 in chemistry."
- davidw 13y ago> Strong words This is the same guy who says "No, not everyone who's rich deserves to die": https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5625397 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5625397
- selmnoo 13y agoI'd agree with michaelochurch, interestingly. Capital has been taken hostage by the rich -- the system we live in is rigged. And that is not a controversial or unsubstantiated statement at all at this point, it's good science, e.g., per Piketty's new findings and analyses, which are scientifically rigorous and heavily data-backed.
- davidw 13y ago> Capital has been taken hostage by the rich Err... yeah? Previously who did the capital belong to?
- shubb 13y agoI've read speculation that people peak later in quantitive fields, because a discovery requires a lot of work over many years - gathering and verifying data. In math, I guess, advances are made by bright ideas - logical jumps, sudden realizations. The discoverer just needs to read to the edge of the field and then realize something no one else has before. But I think that's a shallow model for inovation. Genuinely innovative companies like Tesla or Skybox mostly seem to be mixed age teams.