7 ms·

Giorgio Armani didn't accomplish anything until his forties

152 points by kareemm 11y ago

jeremysmyth 11y ago
Headline is a bit misleading. By 40 he had already significant experience in the industry, as a menswear buyer for a department store and through his 30s a menswear designer, both employed and freelance. Then he (the creative) and his partner (the business guy) created a startup leading to where he is today. This isn't too unusual a story in the world of startups (not to minimize the achievement of his or any self-sacrificing startup), and doesn't reflect the title's premise at all.
- M8 11y ago
  Agree, "didn't accomplish anything" = "didn't achieve extraordinary success". Typical media.
- iamben 11y ago
  I don't know - I think it's more akin to spending 20 years as a dev in various companies, then one day saying "I'm finally going to take a chance on that start-up idea". We'd probably be saying pretty much the same thing (regardless as to whether some of what she/he'd done had made a real difference to those companies) - "she/he spent 20 years writing code, but XXX was her/his first real accomplishment/success..." As I've been told many, many times - overnight success is usually preceded by 10 years of hard work.
- leoc 11y ago
  Yes: it reminded me of the old sour joke that musicians love about how it takes years of work to become an overnight sensation.
weinzierl 11y ago
Somewhat related: What's the average age of people you fund? About 29. A lot of people think it's younger because the press especially like to write about young founders. http://www.ycombinator.com/faq/#q42 http://www.ycombinator.com/faq/#q42
- nl 11y ago
  Yeah, but a normal distribution centered on 29, with a lower bound of ~18 doesn't actually imply all that many 40+ year olds. (on mobile, someone else can reply with the math for an upvote)
  - danieltillett 11y ago
    Not that I am a mathematician, but I am pretty sure that you can't actually calculate how many 40+ people there are just from these values since you can't assume the distribution is normal.
    - nl 11y ago
      Well, it's clearly not normal because it bound at the low end. But assuming a normal distribution shape for the high side is probably a reasonable first guess. Put it like this: I'd say that the average being 29 means that around 80% of founders funded by YC are below 40.
      - danieltillett 11y ago
        Assuming a normal distribution is always a reasonable first step, but when dealing with small numbers in your distribution you have to be really careful as you can go massively wrong with this assumption.
    - eterm 11y ago
      That's true, but you can ignore distributions, and assert that they must accept more people under 29 than over 40.
      - danieltillett 11y ago
        True, but this doesn't help you too much in calculating how many are over 40.
    - Xophmeister 11y ago
teddyh 11y ago
See also: 5 Famous People Who Succeeded Long After They Should've Quit http://www.cracked.com/article_19655_5-famous-late-bloomers.html http://www.cracked.com/article_19655_5-famous-late-bloomers.... Lists: Alan Rickman, Peter Roget, Joseph Conrad, Kathryn Joosten and Harland “Colonel” Sanders.
insulanian 11y ago
This gives me the hope that with 35 I still have a chance to break the chains, get out of employee role and start my own business, because I feel so ready for it... But then again, there are mouths to feed at home, so... shut up and back to reading this feature requirement...
- unoti 11y ago
  It wasn't until my kids were adults that I was able to make the jump into my lifelong dream of self employment. But I spent a lot of time training myself and laying the groundwork before that day. Keep pushing for your dream. The fight isn't over until you quit fighting! Age isn't a big deal unless you allow it to. If you keep learning and keep striving and keep exercising that will keep you young in all the ways that matter.
- rgbrenner 11y ago
  You have plenty of time. Here are some articles if you're ever feeling "too old" from reading HN: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/235357 http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/235357 http://www.forbes.com/sites/krisztinaholly/2014/01/15/why-great-entrepreneurs-are-older-than-you-think/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/krisztinaholly/2014/01/15/why-gr... https://hbr.org/2013/06/entrepreneurs-get-better-with/ https://hbr.org/2013/06/entrepreneurs-get-better-with/
- simonswords82 11y ago
  You have plenty of time. I don't know anything about your setup but if you can try to start a business on the side rather than leaving your job do so.
danso 11y ago
I've always wanted to write a quickie script that collected famous people pages (such as Nobel Prize winners) from Wikipedia and subtracted their birthdate from the year of their first major accomplishment...I suspect in something like Nobel Prize winners, the ages would skew middle-aged to older, but of course, such people would've been working hard in their field prior to the award.
- pcrh 11y ago
  "...the mean age of Nobel Prize winning achievements since 1980 is 48 y." http://www.pnas.org/content/108/47/18910.full http://www.pnas.org/content/108/47/18910.full
- Florin_Andrei 11y ago
  Well, the Nobel is usually awarded quite some time after the deed is done and the achievement has gained recognition. This is especially true for the prize in the "hard science" fields.
beat 11y ago
I totally feel this article. I decided to create a startup in my late 40s, 20 years into a steady, safe career of enterprise IT. I finally feel ready.
hahamrfunnyguy 11y ago
A lot of people don't accomplish anything until their forties. Easy to understand why too: you're wiser, have more money and built up a network of connections over the years. The edge younger people have I think is a drive, higher energy=levels and an optimism that comes from not being jaded from years of full-time work.
wellpast 11y ago
Related, Malcom Gladwell on "Late Bloomers": http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/10/20/late-bloomers-2 http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/10/20/late-bloomers-2 (2008)
- tenementfunster 11y ago
  I wish people would quit quoting/linking pop science authors on HN.
- vonklaus 11y ago
  I like Gladwell from a pop-sci point of view. After he retroactively tried to medically diagnose Goliath using the King James Bible and a few anecdotes, I really tuned him out.
jegea 11y ago
Most of the commenters focus on a stronger financial position and/or industry knowledge as reasons to be a successful entrepreneur beyond the barrier of 40s. But the man himself provides reasons which I find much more profound (and that being in midforties myself, I'm glad to relate to: > Your forties are the moment when you start to become aware. It's just the beginning. I've always believed that to confirm your way of thinking takes time. It takes experimenting. You have to confront different chapters of your life Touched me deep enough to create an HN account just to comment.
- nosuchthing 11y ago
  Aware of what? I often find people in their 40s' to be deeply troubled, tired, and grappling for power or ego. Anecdotally I have encountered more people in the 50s-90s range with a calmer, wiser, and altruistic awareness of self and others. I imagine it has something to do with the thought of mortality nullifying their materialistic or egoistic pursuits, and some sort of realization that we're all here together on a big rock hurdling through space so maybe baking a batch of cookies for friends is a good idea worth spending time on.
  - bdcravens 11y ago
    I think the key is the quote says "...start to become aware. It's just the beginning..." In your forties, many have teenagers or those on the cusp on college, so I think the shift is moving from provider to wanting a legacy, and what you described is the bit of turbulence that comes with that shift.
  - _jal 11y ago
    (Disclaimer, or self-indictment, or something: I am in my early 40s.) Of course we are making incredibly broad generalizations here. But what part of what you are saying is incompatible with the post to which you reply? Self-awareness is frequently painful. Not everyone reacts the same way, or well. Personally, I do find that I'm reflecting differently than I used to on choices I've made, opportunities missed, times I've been less than the human I want to be, and it isn't all zen gardens and rainbows. People react to disappointment, shame, unfairness, etc. differently, and lashing out, trying to make up for lost time, and far more inexplicable reactions are all pretty common, I think. Not there yet, but I certainly hope that by the time I hit my 50s, I will have gained some equanimity about the more painful things in my life. And if not, I can always take up whacking the kids with my cane.
kstenerud 11y ago
I just turned 40 this year. I have 7 failed businesses behind me and one that is still alive, doing well. One thing I have noticed is that a better understanding of how the world ACTUALLY works has been a huge help in avoiding the many pitfalls that await the intrepid explorer. And since there is no manual that explains all of this, you can only really get it through hard experience. And to make matters worse, once it's internalized, it just becomes part of your background thought process, making it difficult to explain to others because you hardly even notice it's there until you see someone about to make a huge mistake.
b_emery 11y ago
Good summary of a 'hack' of human nature: >A well-maintained physique is a great business card. Ideas and intelligence are what matters, but if you have a well-maintained physique, it's better. People are always more willing when it comes to beauty; there's not much to be done about it. It's a classic ideal: healthy mind, healthy body.

152 points by kareemm 11y ago

Headline is a bit misleading. By 40 he had already significant experience in the industry, as a menswear buyer for a department store and through his 30s a menswear designer, both employed and freelance. Then he (the creative) and his partner (the business guy) created a startup leading to where he is today. This isn't too unusual a story in the world of startups (not to minimize the achievement of his or any self-sacrificing startup), and doesn't reflect the title's premise at all.

M8 11y ago
Agree, "didn't accomplish anything" = "didn't achieve extraordinary success". Typical media.
iamben 11y ago
I don't know - I think it's more akin to spending 20 years as a dev in various companies, then one day saying "I'm finally going to take a chance on that start-up idea". We'd probably be saying pretty much the same thing (regardless as to whether some of what she/he'd done had made a real difference to those companies) - "she/he spent 20 years writing code, but XXX was her/his first real accomplishment/success..." As I've been told many, many times - overnight success is usually preceded by 10 years of hard work.
leoc 11y ago
Yes: it reminded me of the old sour joke that musicians love about how it takes years of work to become an overnight sensation.

weinzierl 11y ago

Somewhat related: What's the average age of people you fund? About 29. A lot of people think it's younger because the press especially like to write about young founders. http://www.ycombinator.com/faq/#q42 http://www.ycombinator.com/faq/#q42

nl 11y ago
Yeah, but a normal distribution centered on 29, with a lower bound of ~18 doesn't actually imply all that many 40+ year olds. (on mobile, someone else can reply with the math for an upvote)
- danieltillett 11y ago
  Not that I am a mathematician, but I am pretty sure that you can't actually calculate how many 40+ people there are just from these values since you can't assume the distribution is normal.
  - nl 11y ago
    Well, it's clearly not normal because it bound at the low end. But assuming a normal distribution shape for the high side is probably a reasonable first guess. Put it like this: I'd say that the average being 29 means that around 80% of founders funded by YC are below 40.
    - danieltillett 11y ago
      Assuming a normal distribution is always a reasonable first step, but when dealing with small numbers in your distribution you have to be really careful as you can go massively wrong with this assumption.
  - eterm 11y ago
    That's true, but you can ignore distributions, and assert that they must accept more people under 29 than over 40.
    - danieltillett 11y ago
      True, but this doesn't help you too much in calculating how many are over 40.
  - Xophmeister 11y ago

teddyh 11y ago

See also: 5 Famous People Who Succeeded Long After They Should've Quit http://www.cracked.com/article_19655_5-famous-late-bloomers.html http://www.cracked.com/article_19655_5-famous-late-bloomers.... Lists: Alan Rickman, Peter Roget, Joseph Conrad, Kathryn Joosten and Harland “Colonel” Sanders.

insulanian 11y ago

This gives me the hope that with 35 I still have a chance to break the chains, get out of employee role and start my own business, because I feel so ready for it... But then again, there are mouths to feed at home, so... shut up and back to reading this feature requirement...

unoti 11y ago
It wasn't until my kids were adults that I was able to make the jump into my lifelong dream of self employment. But I spent a lot of time training myself and laying the groundwork before that day. Keep pushing for your dream. The fight isn't over until you quit fighting! Age isn't a big deal unless you allow it to. If you keep learning and keep striving and keep exercising that will keep you young in all the ways that matter.
rgbrenner 11y ago
You have plenty of time. Here are some articles if you're ever feeling "too old" from reading HN: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/235357 http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/235357 http://www.forbes.com/sites/krisztinaholly/2014/01/15/why-great-entrepreneurs-are-older-than-you-think/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/krisztinaholly/2014/01/15/why-gr... https://hbr.org/2013/06/entrepreneurs-get-better-with/ https://hbr.org/2013/06/entrepreneurs-get-better-with/
simonswords82 11y ago
You have plenty of time. I don't know anything about your setup but if you can try to start a business on the side rather than leaving your job do so.

danso 11y ago

I've always wanted to write a quickie script that collected famous people pages (such as Nobel Prize winners) from Wikipedia and subtracted their birthdate from the year of their first major accomplishment...I suspect in something like Nobel Prize winners, the ages would skew middle-aged to older, but of course, such people would've been working hard in their field prior to the award.

pcrh 11y ago
"...the mean age of Nobel Prize winning achievements since 1980 is 48 y." http://www.pnas.org/content/108/47/18910.full http://www.pnas.org/content/108/47/18910.full
Florin_Andrei 11y ago
Well, the Nobel is usually awarded quite some time after the deed is done and the achievement has gained recognition. This is especially true for the prize in the "hard science" fields.

beat 11y ago

I totally feel this article. I decided to create a startup in my late 40s, 20 years into a steady, safe career of enterprise IT. I finally feel ready.

hahamrfunnyguy 11y ago

A lot of people don't accomplish anything until their forties. Easy to understand why too: you're wiser, have more money and built up a network of connections over the years. The edge younger people have I think is a drive, higher energy=levels and an optimism that comes from not being jaded from years of full-time work.

wellpast 11y ago

Related, Malcom Gladwell on "Late Bloomers": http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/10/20/late-bloomers-2 http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/10/20/late-bloomers-2 (2008)

tenementfunster 11y ago
I wish people would quit quoting/linking pop science authors on HN.
vonklaus 11y ago
I like Gladwell from a pop-sci point of view. After he retroactively tried to medically diagnose Goliath using the King James Bible and a few anecdotes, I really tuned him out.

jegea 11y ago

Most of the commenters focus on a stronger financial position and/or industry knowledge as reasons to be a successful entrepreneur beyond the barrier of 40s. But the man himself provides reasons which I find much more profound (and that being in midforties myself, I'm glad to relate to: > Your forties are the moment when you start to become aware. It's just the beginning. I've always believed that to confirm your way of thinking takes time. It takes experimenting. You have to confront different chapters of your life Touched me deep enough to create an HN account just to comment.

nosuchthing 11y ago
Aware of what? I often find people in their 40s' to be deeply troubled, tired, and grappling for power or ego. Anecdotally I have encountered more people in the 50s-90s range with a calmer, wiser, and altruistic awareness of self and others. I imagine it has something to do with the thought of mortality nullifying their materialistic or egoistic pursuits, and some sort of realization that we're all here together on a big rock hurdling through space so maybe baking a batch of cookies for friends is a good idea worth spending time on.
- bdcravens 11y ago
  I think the key is the quote says "...start to become aware. It's just the beginning..." In your forties, many have teenagers or those on the cusp on college, so I think the shift is moving from provider to wanting a legacy, and what you described is the bit of turbulence that comes with that shift.
- _jal 11y ago
  (Disclaimer, or self-indictment, or something: I am in my early 40s.) Of course we are making incredibly broad generalizations here. But what part of what you are saying is incompatible with the post to which you reply? Self-awareness is frequently painful. Not everyone reacts the same way, or well. Personally, I do find that I'm reflecting differently than I used to on choices I've made, opportunities missed, times I've been less than the human I want to be, and it isn't all zen gardens and rainbows. People react to disappointment, shame, unfairness, etc. differently, and lashing out, trying to make up for lost time, and far more inexplicable reactions are all pretty common, I think. Not there yet, but I certainly hope that by the time I hit my 50s, I will have gained some equanimity about the more painful things in my life. And if not, I can always take up whacking the kids with my cane.

kstenerud 11y ago

I just turned 40 this year. I have 7 failed businesses behind me and one that is still alive, doing well. One thing I have noticed is that a better understanding of how the world ACTUALLY works has been a huge help in avoiding the many pitfalls that await the intrepid explorer. And since there is no manual that explains all of this, you can only really get it through hard experience. And to make matters worse, once it's internalized, it just becomes part of your background thought process, making it difficult to explain to others because you hardly even notice it's there until you see someone about to make a huge mistake.

b_emery 11y ago

Good summary of a 'hack' of human nature: >A well-maintained physique is a great business card. Ideas and intelligence are what matters, but if you have a well-maintained physique, it's better. People are always more willing when it comes to beauty; there's not much to be done about it. It's a classic ideal: healthy mind, healthy body.