[geebee]

I think they probably would hire an older, experienced programmer...

...but it might be interesting to turn this question around and ask if these older experienced programmers would want to be hired by a startup. Keep in mind, this is a very different question from asking if they'd want to work for, or at, a startup.

The old mantra I heard was "the founders get rich, the early employees get screwed, and the late employees get paid." Of course, not at all true in all occasions (even fairly "late" employees at google got rich, and at most startups, nobody gets rich). But I figure an older, experienced programmer would truly understand how illusory the stability of W-2 work at a startup really is. It'd better be a pretty great startup (and they are rarely as great as they think they are).

If you're going to tolerate that degree of instability in your life, there are usually much better options than taking an "interview you, hire you, assign you work" role as a programmer at a startup (consulting work, starting your own company if you seek high risk/rewards, bigco, gov't work if you want to interview for a job with a paycheck).

[hga]

Well, I for one loathe working at bureaucratic, political companies. And the older you get, the less you believe in the illusory stability a W-2 at such (for an extreme, Lucent had 106,000 employees when I started at it and was aiming for 35,000 when I left).

I prefer the environment of startups, I prefer being given an opportunity to focus all my talents and energy in making tangible differences, I'm not in it primarily for the money. Granted, I'm a would be scientist who was forced to live a sordid life as a programmer due to finances....

As for the options I didn't cover, I'm not enough of a extrovert, salesman type (you need at least some of that) to be a multi-client consultant or co-founder.