[Mz]

The military is a "young man's game." Most new recruits are 18. But the people in charge, who do the strategizing and so on, are not. It sounds to me like the article is suggesting another way for experienced programmers to be held in high esteem, not suggesting that old programmers are no good. So I honestly do not understand most of the criticisms of this article being posted here on HN. Maybe there is no real difference between a "software scientist" and a manager. Maybe there is. But it doesn't sound to me like this piece in any way insults older programmers.

[seanmcdirmid]

You have older NCOs in the military as well as senior officers, but for the most part rank and seniority is a pyramid in the millitary; just like most hyper competitive dev shops...there are older people at the top, just much fewer of them than younger people...and where did the other people go who fell off the pyramid?

As a PhD holding computer scientist and practicing researcher, I cringe at the title "software scientist"....

[Animats]

You have older NCOs in the military as well as senior officers, but for the most part rank and seniority is a pyramid in the military.

More so than in civilian life. The US military has a formal "up or out" policy and a schedule: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Year_Tenure . That's for enlisted men. For officers, it's tougher, although more complicated; if you're passed over for promotion twice, you're usually out.

[Mz]

It's fine if you cringe. :-) I am just saying that I simply do not see the slam on older programmers that others seem to be taking away from this article. It seems to me there are plenty of older programmers on HN and some of most esteemed folks here are not 22-25 years old and are, instead, a good bit older (in some cases, old enough to have kids that age, in theory if not in reality).

(In fact, I suspect none of them are that young -- but I don't know all the ages of, say, everyone on the leaderboard, so I can't assert that as fact. Edit: Also, not everyone that age here can rightly be called a programmer.)

[seanmcdirmid]

Note: I also cringe when people called me doctor. Titles are also poor replacements for respect and confidence.