[scottedwards]

Thanks for your comments guys, but if this is true, why don't I see more workers in their 40s, 50s, and 60s around? (and I'm not specifically speaking of devs, although the effect seems more drastic there).

And I don't work at a startup - this is the 2nd large company (>20k employees) I've worked at, and in both cases, I would say that the percentage of workers over 50 is less than 10% - and most are managers or senior folks.

My question is simple - where the heck did all these people go? I don't think the mortality rate is that high ;-) and I doubt many people can afford to retire that early.

[fit2rule]

Maybe folks are retiring at 50 in your company? I don't know, but I see a lot of older guys in the industry in my area (Europe) so it can't be total ..

[scottedwards]

Interesting - maybe it varies by industry. What industry are you in? These two companies are in telecom and software. I don't think many people in the US are retiring at 50 though - maybe in Europe ;-)