269 people join class-action lawsuit against Google claiming age discrimination
If age alone isn't a reliable factor in determining success, then why do most of the big Silicon Valley companies lean young? Shouldn't economics sort them out if they really aren't getting more bang for their buck with younger employees? Couldn't I get way more done by gaming the market (and therefore <i>win</i>) if I only hired older employees who were rejected by Google solely for their age? I see lots of conspiracy theories here, but none answer that question.<p>It seems to me like young employees may have a few properties going for them (<i>on average</i>), that may be less true as they age:<p>-motivation/drive/desire to put in hours<p>-low cost<p>-flexibility<p>-creativity/fresh ideas<p>-more likely to bond with other young employees, and participate in company culture (instead of having a family they need to spend time with).<p>To me, it basically means that for basic software engineering, at a certain point you actually do (on average) become less valuable as you age, <i>unless</i> you move up into system architecture, specialism/subject matter expertise, or management.