[rayiner]

> The ascendant efforts of the young from about 18-30 is vital, innovative, and disruptive.

It's important, but if you look out your window, the world that exists out there was designed and built mostly by people over 30. There are some geniuses that were most prolific in their 20's (Einstein's miracle year was at 26), but most people who are awarded the nobel prize do their most important work from 30-50 (http://www.nature.com/news/2011/111107/full/news.2011.632.ht...). Picasso started developing cubism around the age of 30, Braque at about the same time.

The young have particular relevance in the area of entertainment (pop music, Facebook), largely because so much entertainment is targeted at the young. They also have particular importance in the area of mathematics. But the kind of day-to-day innovation that makes the world go around is a process of stepping on the shoulders of those who came before. And it's experienced people who understand what came before who do that most efficiently.

[pistle]

Those people doing that at 30+ are the ones who are knee deep in culling lots of important industry, business, etc. experience. Delaying targeted launch is riskier. Paying your dues is a safe pattern. You don't suddenly become relevant in your 30's per the Nobel. You don't win $500M contracts before you win $10M. There are very few overnight sensations starting into their field in 30+.

[FD3SA]

Sometimes. Other times[1], you've been so successful that you lose touch with reality and think you're invincible.

The truth is, the laws of physics don't care about your age. You can make a product people want at any point in time. 99% of it is plumbing. That 1% brilliant insight is often just common sense applied to an intersection of two disparate domains. The majority of successful web companies have made this apparent. All they did was use the web as a platform to simplify some previously web-disconnected task.

As humans, we love the Heroic Myth above all else. That some are chosen by God to rule over us with their talents.

The reality is, if you learn to work within what the laws of physics allow, anything is possible. Just go out there and do it, and don't give up. Physics doesn't care how many times you try, or how long it takes. As long as you don't kill yourself in the process, you can always keep improving.

Don't get caught up in the hype. The tortoise wins the race 99% of the time.

1. http://www.fastcompany.com/3028159/a-broken-place-better-pla...