not sure what exactly you are implying, but in my limited experience, I'd take the 50 year old over the 25 yr old in a heartbeat. you say all else equal. thats a dream world. the 50 yr old will have, very likely, a vast range of valuable life experiences (unless theyve been living in a proverbial cave all their life).. and yeah im 37 and i lead a team with a variety of ages. age is not an important factor, like at all. enthusiasm and genuine-ness is.