Tech’s Ticking Ageism Time Bomb💣

                                                                          Photo by Andrea De Santis @santesson89 on Unsplash

I wish the talk of age discrimination were in the past, that we could consider it to be a solved problem and consigned to the trash can of history.

[Cue the comments saying it’s a thing of the past] 

That simply isn’t true. Here we are, in 2024 and IBM is once again facing age discrimination lawsuits. These aren’t just targeting IBM’s young and groovy software developers; they’re going after IBM’s vice presidents. VP-level execs are coming forward saying that their heads have been put on the chopping block to make room for the vibrant young.

Of course, Big Blue denies any discrimination. Sure, why would they lie? Oh yes, systemic ageism against the old. That would do it.

The Tech Industry’s Own Toxic Culture

This isn’t a new development in the industry. 

This is an industry where Zuckerberg got away with a comment saying young people are “just smarter”. It’s those sentiments that run through tech workplaces since these age biases aren’t a temporary hiccup. The reality is that the industry chooses youth over experience time and time again.

It’s not just IBM, but it’s the industry which is making bad choices time and time again. It’s not just this, it’s bad code, bad practices and bad ideas. They are all part of this toxic culture that we are all enabling.

The Nonsense of Ageism

Why do these tech giants keep facing lawsuits? It’s not because the seasoned developers got “slow”. 

On the contrary, programming knowledge increases with age and as we know, knowledge and performance are tightly coupled.

So, show me one tech company whose workforce isn’t disproportionately young. In fact, developers over 45 are a rare breed, with fewer and fewer holding onto roles they once dominated. See for yourself — just check the 2023 Stack Overflow demographics.

IBM’s lawsuit may not shock you. You might even expect it if you’ve been in the industry long enough. But here’s a hard truth: any company’s ageism harms every programmer as (big reveal here) we all get old one day. When the time comes, we are all expected to prove ourselves time and time again. The talent pool is contracting through this type of short-term thinking, and it needs to stop.

Conclusion

There’s still hope — if you know where to look. I know a handful of programmers pushing well into their 60s. It’s a rare sight, though, with most checking out in their 40s. 

That’s kind of the whole point, isn’t it?