How well I remember being a Bright Young Thing.
I was fearless, wide-eyed, and as an Idea Generation machine, I was unstoppable. I was scrappy. Making it happen was my mantra. Like the vaunted Millennials of today, I was the golden child, thanks to my intuitive gift for coming up with the next new thing.
But the harsh truth about ideas and innovation came soon enough. One afternoon I was in a meeting at the ad agency where I worked, earnestly listening to strategy for an upcoming pitch. I was baffled by the glowing response to what I believed was truly mediocre creative. Afterward, I turned to my mentor and whispered bravely: "I wasn't impressed by those ideas. Why were they chosen?"
She laughed. "99% of the time, it's not the idea that matters. It's WHO came up with the idea."
That was the first time I realized that the quality of an idea is seldom based solely on the idea itself. If it bubbled up from "the right person", the concept would be deemed worth pursuing. Invariably, the "right person" fit a narrowly defined profile.
Today, it's all too obvious who that right person would be. Especially in Silicon Valley.
This is why I flinched when I read this week's post by the well-respected and influential John Maeda. In Mr. Maeda's point of view, the "right" person to innovate is undeniably a young person. The grumpy old grown-ups either don't get it or actively crush youthful dreams. They’re trapped by years of frustrating experiences that shout “it can’t be done!”
In my way of thinking, there's no reason to limit anyone’s chance to jump on the innovation train.
While there is much to admire about Mr. Maeda's article, the youth-centric attitude he embraces may be doing more damage than good. This phenomenon may be putting the brakes on innovation – notably by discouraging the diverse pool of talented individuals who might otherwise contribute. Certainly here in the Bay Area the bias against "older" workers – that is, those 35+ – eventually affects even the fiercest professional. Former Autodesk and Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz, speaking at an entrepreneurship event, lamented the fact that Silicon Valley's age bias "leaves so much brainpower on the table."
Recent statistics from human capital firm PayScale Inc. say it all. A sample of median ages at Silicon Valley companies:
33 at Adobe Systems Inc.
31 at Apple Inc.
32 at eBay Inc.
28 at Facebook Inc.
30 at Google Inc.
29 at LinkedIn Corp.
31 at Yahoo Inc.
In 2007, speaking at Stanford, Mark Zuckerberg proclaimed "young people are just smarter." Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, told the New York Times in 2013: “The cutoff in investors’ heads is 32. After 32, they start to be a little skeptical." And oh, by the way, "I can be tricked by anyone who looks like Mark Zuckerberg."
Can we afford to assume that our best and brightest ideas are generated and ultimately executed primarily by whippersnappers?
According to researchers at Berkeley's Haas School of Business, the average startup founder is 38, earned a master’s degree, and has 16 years of work experience. This view of entrepreneurship is supported by the Kauffman Foundation's Startup Activity Index which shows a dramatic shift up – more than half of the startups in 2014 were founded by new entrepreneurs ranging in age from 45-64.
Even better, in terms of business survival rates, companies founded by more experienced workers tend to have more staying power. According to a study by a British charity called The Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprise (PRIME), 70% of businesses started by people in their 50s survived for at least five years, compared to only 28% of businesses started by those aged under 50. (That study was conducted across the pond, where perhaps the skew toward the young is not as intense.)
In truth, the best ideas – innovations – come from everyone. Unless we filter them out. Unless we put up artificial barriers to discovery and disruption. Like we did a few generations ago, when girls were told they weren’t suited for science and technology.
The good news? Companies are finally getting that diversity matters. Inclusion matters. But here's the wrinkle: Somehow age doesn't get stirred into the diversity pie, and that's a shame. Because true innovators never stop learning; never stop exploring; never rest on their laurels or their McLarens.
And there is no time limit on curiosity.