Ask HN: Is ageism in tech still a problem? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Is ageism in tech still a problem?

#191

Post by huncyrus » Tue, Jun 17, 2025, 7:59 PM UTC

Ageism is still relevant, and probably will be. I see - and experience - that, if a senior has more experience than the tech department altogether, then it will cause tensions. Also, most of the self-appointed C* level leaders (rich kid or l33tcode warrior) do not process well if someone has more experience and/or does not agree.

As I learned when I rewrote 10+ times my resume, you have to hide your experience and age because anything over 8-10 years is just not relevant anymore, or causes ageism (even ATS/GPT/LLM/AI/BOT give you negative points for the age). I have experienced this firsthand, since I have 20+ YoE.

Re: Ask HN: Is ageism in tech still a problem?

#192

Post by chinabison » Tue, Jun 17, 2025, 10:49 PM UTC

After suffering a mass layoff last year, one observation points to explicit and endemic ageism:

All my former colleagues and reports 15-20 years younger than me landed jobs within a matter of months. Those of us 50+ remain unemployed a year later. It isn't about skills; I was at the top of my game when a layoff robbed me of my livelihood. It isn't a matter of pay. One of my former reports whom I mentored when I was a senior IC left right before the layoff hit with a job offer making as much as I was at the time as a manager.

It was even explicitly revealed to me by an insider and former colleague who referred me to one position that I didn't get that the hiring committee wanted to go with someone younger, after which he caught himself and backtracked saying "earlier in their career". I was told on another occasion that I'd make a great addition as a manager or principal IC, but that they were reviewing their needs and deciding to search for someone less senior.

Ageism is 100% real.

Re: Ask HN: Is ageism in tech still a problem?

#193

Post by Desafinado » Wed, Jun 18, 2025, 12:35 AM UTC

There is a lot of generalization in this thread. Most of us have very limited experience that's only applicable to a small region, and likely doesn't apply everywhere.

In general, not only in the software industry, people just like younger people more. They're better looking, and they have more energy and enthusiasm. It's a cognitive bias that isn't unlike racism and sexism, it's going to weight the odds in the favour of young people in every industry.

And that's setting aside the fact that older people are closer to retirement and unlikely to spend a long time at the company in question.