How do you, either as an individual or as a company, deal with "aging" phenomenon?
To me, the simplest answer seems to be building your own business so you don't have to worry whether you'll still be employable at 50 or 55.
But let me use my own country as an example:
In Slovakia, the retirement age is around 65, and it keeps increasing. At the same time, our pension system is under pressure because there aren't enough working people to support it, but that's a separate discussion.
The reality is that many people over the age of 45 already struggle to find new jobs. They're often perceived as less adaptable, "too senior," or not as young and dynamic as younger candidates.
As a result, many stay in companies they no longer enjoy simply because changing jobs feels risky.
That's actually why I asked yesterday about how often people switch jobs.
In some cultures (Japan is a good example), older members of society are highly respected for their experience.
But if we're being realistic, experience from the past doesn't always translate into leading technological innovation.
Today, many of the people setting the agenda in technology seem to be under 30, or at least that's how I see it.
How should we approach ageing and preventing "ageing unemployment"?
Not only from the perspective of an individual who wants to remain employable, but also from the perspective of a company. On one hand, rejecting older candidates can feel discriminatory. On the other hand, companies need to keep growing and adapting.
So what's the secret ingredient? Is it continuous learning? Investing in training? Reskilling? Designing roles differently? How can companies ensure that experienced employees continue to create value, while also staying competitive in a rapidly changing world?
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I have worked across a dozen employers in twelve years, banks, telecoms, retail, and the pattern I keep seeing is that the market does not price experience, it prices recent evidence. Two candidates with the same skills read completely differently if one has something shipped in the last year and the other's last visible output is three years old, whatever their ages. That is unfair but it is actionable. The cheapest insurance against ageing out is a steady trail of recent public work: an analysis, a small tool, a write up. It does not need to be a business.
On the company side, the fix I have actually seen work is putting experienced people back on real work rather than around it. The not adaptable label usually lands on people who were promoted away from the tools years ago and never got hands on time since. Give them the same learning time the juniors get and most of the gap disappears.
I am building a product portfolio alongside a full time data job for exactly this reason. Not because a business is safer, it is not, but because it keeps the evidence current and the learning compulsory.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@oshylabs But your personal work should be still ongoing, because not many people care what you built 4 years ago.
@busmark_w_nika Exactly, that is the whole point. The half life on it is short too. Something I shipped last year already feels stale to me, which is uncomfortable but useful, it forces the next thing. I would rather the pressure came from my own standards than from a hiring manager noticing the gap. Ongoing is the only state that actually protects you.
Whilst this does not affect me personally, I believe it is becoming a significant issue across the startup ecosystem.
I see so many great inventions and innovative ideas that ultimately end up on the scrap heap. Just look at the number of products launched on Product Hunt that are no longer available a few years later.
Many people would attribute this to a lack of funding — “we didn’t get the investment we needed.” But in many cases, the real issue is not money; it is experience. There are countless examples of successful companies that were bootstrapped, grown through resilience, knowledge, and the ability to execute.
At the same time, there is a huge pool of experienced talent sitting on the sidelines. If innovators could connect with this talent, the combination could be transformational. A great idea, combined with operational experience, industry knowledge, sales capability, and business discipline, can turn an invention into a sustainable company.
The challenge is overcoming perceptions, prejudices, and insecurities on both sides. Younger founders may feel that accepting help from experienced professionals somehow diminishes their achievement, while experienced professionals may underestimate how valuable their knowledge still is in a fast-moving technology landscape.
The reality is that innovation needs experience, and experience needs innovation. Together, they create something far more powerful than either can achieve alone.
Perhaps the answer is education — and a few visible success stories that demonstrate the value of collaboration between generations.
One final thought: Imagine you are a young entrepreneur. Your MVP is incredible, the technology is ready to scale, but you cannot secure the backing you need.
Now imagine that, instead of offering you money, a living Steve Jobs in his 70s walks through your door and says:
"I don't want to invest. I want to work with you. I want to help you build this company."
Would you take him on?
Of course you would.
So perhaps the question is not whether there is enough funding, but whether founders are recognising the incredible wealth of talent already available to them.
The next great companies may not just be built by young innovators. They may be built by young innovators who have the humility to combine their vision with the wisdom of those who have already travelled the journey.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@mark_trowbridge there should definitely be more collaboration, but both sides need to want it. Unfortunately, in many cases when it comes to older people in work, they are not very open to learn something, I have heard many times sentences like "I am kinda old to learn this. It is quite late to try learn it." etc.
@busmark_w_nika I guess it happens but not in my circles - the exact opposite. My mum is 89 and still driving and running the house, I swear she could run a business today if she cared to. Age is not a barrier, self-belief is!
Unfortunately, it is very difficult for older people in Japan to be respected.
The reason is that many older people, because of their experience, are reluctant to challenging.