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I think this is a symptom of the fact that most SV startups aren't actually doing anything that's truly technically challenging. (Most startups read like social

I think this is a symptom of the fact that most SV startups aren't actually doing anything that's truly technically challenging. (Most startups read like social/marketing experiments that happen to need a web page). So they don't need to hire people with actual experience, and since the tech is largely disposable, fashion tends to rule. That doesn't mean all programming is like that though. For instance, you know what I was using for graphics programming 15 years ago? C++ and OpenGL. You know I'm still using 15 years later? C++ and OpenGL. They've evolved a lot for sure, but that knowledge hasn't become irrelevant.

seiji 11y ago
OpenGL is a neat example because it's an abstracted physical interface, and the physical interface isn't drastically changing. It's like being the world's best assembly programmer — you're always going to be the best because the platform isn't going through 50 generations of evolution underneath you ever 3 years. Carmack is a great example of experience+useful. So is notch. But, they are both very tied to hardware, algorithms, and physical implementations of things so they have stationary expert-level targets.