BUSINESS INSIDER SPOKE TO A HANDFUL OF TECH
EMPLOYEES OVER THE AGE OF FIFTY TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAD
BEEN VICTIMS OF AGE DETERMINATION IN SILICON VALLEY.
UNSURPRISINGLY, MANY OF THEM HAVE DEALT WITH SOME AGE
DISCRIMINATION, AND THEIR STORIES ARE FASCINATING, TO SAY THE
LEAST.
A GROUP OF GOOGLE EMPLOYEES ARE REFERRED TO
AS GREYGLERS, AND THAT IS FOR PEOPLE OVER FORTY.
JESUS.
MARK ZUCKERBERG ONCE SAID THAT YOUNGER PEOPLE ARE STRONGER
IN THE TECH INDUSTRY.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT STRONGER, BUT THEY ARE
MORE SAVVY.
AGEISM AFFECTS ALL PEOPLE OVER ALL FIELDS, WHEN IT
COMES THE TECH INDUSTRY IT'S KIND OF A DIFFERENT BEAST.
THE
TECH INDUSTRY REQUIRES
TECHNOLOGY TO CHANGE AND ADVANCE ON A REGULAR BASIS.
THE NEXT HOT
NEW THING IS OUT THERE, AND IT'S UP TO YOU AS SOMEONE WHO WORKS
IN THAT FIELD TO KEEP YOURSELF
UP-TO-DATE.
IT'S NOT LIKE A JOB WHERE YOU LEARN ONE THING, YOU
BECOME AN EXPERT IN IT AND THAT'S IT.
ACCORDING TO ONE
PERSON, THESE ARE ALL ANONYMOUS
INDIVIDUALS, "THERE'S DEFINITELY AGE DISCRIMINATION.
WHEN IT CAME
TIME FOR HIM AND OTHER MANAGERS TO CHOOSE EMPLOYEES FOR PINK
SLIPS, AGE IS ONE OF THE
DECISION POINTS."
WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO LAY PEOPLE OFF, LET'S
GET RID OF THE OLDER EMPLOYEES.
ONE THING THEY HAD NOT TALKED ABOUT YET IS, THE YOUNGER GUYS
MIGHT BE MORE TECH SAVVY ñ SAYING THEY ARE SMARTER IS
RIDICULOUS, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SHOW ME ANY SCIENTIFIC STUDIES
THAT SAY YOU WILL GET SMARTER
OVER THE AGES.
ONE AGE BRACKET IT IS NOT SMARTER THAN ANOTHER AGE
BRACKET, AND IF YOU SAY THAT IT'S IRONIC BECAUSE IT'S KIND OF
A DUMB POINT.
ANYWAY, THE OTHER
FACTOR IS PRICE.
IF IT TURNS OUT THAT YOU'VE GOT A REALLY TECH
SAVVY KID WHO YOU DON'T HAVE TO
PAY AS MUCH ñ
$25,000, $30,000 A YEAR, HE'LL TAKE IT.
OR YOU'VE GOT SOMEONE WITH MORE SENIORITY, WHO IS
REALLY GOOD BUT YOU ARE PAYING HIM A LOT MORE, THAT IS
GOING TO BE A FACTOR.
AND KEEP IN MIND THAT WITH YOUNGER PEOPLE, THEY ARE MORE
LIKELY TO KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING IN RECENT TECH NEWS.
I WILL GET
TO THAT IN A SECOND.
ANOTHER PERSON SAYS, "SOONER OR LATER,
YOUR CORPORATION WILL GET RID OF YOU.
NOT BECAUSE YOU ARE OLD,
BUT BECAUSE THEY ARE CONCERNED WITH WHAT KIND OF FACE THEY PUT
IN FRONT OF THEIR CLIENTS.
THEY WANT TO BE THOUGHT OF AS YOUTHFUL,
PROGRESSIVE, AND THEY WON'T PUT A GUY OUT THERE WHO IS SIXTY
YEARS OLD.
I KNOW IT'S STUPID, BUT YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED HOW
MANY PEOPLE THINK LIKE THAT."
IN 2012, ACROSS ALL INDUSTRIES
THERE WERE 3,488 AGE DISCRIMINATION EMPLOYMENT
COMPLAINTS FILED WITH CALIFORNIA'S DEPARTMENT OF FAIR
HOUSING AND EMPLOYMENT.
IN 2014 IT JUMPED TO MORE THAN 4,500
COMPLAINTS.
THE ADVICE THAT THE SUCCESSFUL OLDER PEOPLE IN THE
TECH INDUSTRY ARE GIVING TO THEIR PEERS IS THAT, YOU HAVE TO
CONTINUOUSLY ADAPT.
YOU HAVE TO CONTINUOUSLY LEARN NEW
TECHNOLOGY, MASTER NEW SKILLS, IN ORDER TO REMAIN RELEVANT
IN AN EVER-CHANGING FIELD OF WORK.
I WILL ADD TO THAT, YOU'VE GOTTA BUILD YOUR BRAND.
THAT MIGHT
SOUND ANNOYING TO PEOPLE, BUT IT IS A REALITY.
IF YOU BUILD UP A
NAME IN YOUR INDUSTRY, YOU ARE
GOING TO BE MORE VALUABLE.
ALSO, THAT IS ONE THING YOU BUILD IN
TIME.
BRAND IS YOUR BRAND AND YOUR NAME VALUE, IT'S AN ASSET
THAT YOU CONTINUE TO ACCRUE.
THAT IS YOUR ONE ADVANTAGE OVER
THE YOUNGER WORKERS, SO YOU HAVE TO BE COGNIZANT OF THAT.
SOMETIMES THAT'S GREAT, BECAUSE YOU ARE ACTUALLY COMPETENT
AND THAT IS WHY YOU BUILD
UP YOUR BRAND.
SOMETIMES IT'S BS MARKETING AND SUPER ANNOYING,
AND THAT'S WHY PEOPLE PLAY
POLITICS WITHIN COMPANIES.
THAT IS REAL AND ANNOYING.
I WANT TO LEAVE YOU WITH GRAPHIC NUMBER TWENTY-FIVE.
IT
SHOWS YOU ALL OF THE DIFFERENT MAJOR TECH COMPANIES, AND THE
MEDIAN AGE OF ITS EMPLOYEES.
AT FACEBOOK, THE MEDIAN AGE IS
TWENTY-EIGHT.
THAT'S AMAZING.
GOOGLE IS THIRTY.
LINKEDIN, FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES IT IS
TWENTY-NINE.
THE OLDEST ONE IS HEWLETT-PACKARD AT THIRTY-NINE.
THAT IS NOT THAT OLD EITHER.
THIS IS DEVASTATING.
LOOK AT THE UPSIDE, IF YOU ARE A YOUNG PERSON TRYING TO GET
IN THE BUSINESS, APPARENTLY THE DOORS ARE OPEN.
LOOK AT THE
SILVER LINING, RIGHT?
I DON'T MEAN SILVER AS IN OLD.
GOOD THING YOU CREATED YOUR OWN COMPANY.
THAT'S PART OF WHY I DID IT, I DON'T LIKE BEING AT THE MERCY
OF OTHER PEOPLE.
WHEN YOU WORK AT ANOTHER COMPANY, YOU HAVE TO
DEAL WITH BULLSHIT LIKE THIS.
JIMMY JUST TURNED FIFTY.
BYE JIMMY.