Ask HN: 50yo too old to start software company? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: 50yo too old to start software company?

Posting from a throwaway. I am 50 and I have been running a small software company for 15 years. At the peak it had 7 employees. Then for 5 years I was traveling. The company sort of fizzled out. I am pretty good at programming and can program fast, in whatever language (Rust, C, etc). I have an apartment in SF and I don't have to work for several years. But I am not sure if i am still young enough to start a software company. For example, in 10 years I will be 60. Is there any data on this?

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Yes, lots of research and anecdotal evidence, and easy to find:

https://hbr.org/2018/07/research-the-average-age-of-a-succes...

https://www.businessinsider.com/companies-started-middle-age...

Unless you have physical or mental disabilities brought on by aging, I don't see how your age would have anything to do with it. Either you can build a successful business or you can't. Since prior experience and connections and accumulated skills will play into that, you have some advantages over someone half your age.

I will turn 62 this year, and I'm enjoying the most lucrative and interesting stage of my long career in software. Other than the ham-fisted age discrimination people our age might encounter at job interviews I don't see any impediments.

gah me reading this at mid 20s is hella amazed you guys still got it rocking at your old age.

time indeed flies though, i hope i get to an age where im the one typing those things for oour generation

What has become more lucrative for you now compared to 5, 10, 15 years ago?

10 and 15 years ago i was busy running my company. 5 years ago i was burnt out and wanted to travel

Age is only a state of mind. You're as young as you think. I'm not sure who said it, but it's true.

I'm 70 and working on my fourth startup. If you're bootstrapping like me then you don't need permission from anybody. It doesn't matter if you can't get into a favorite startup accelerator or raise venture capital because of your age.

I like hard challenges. I've seen far too many people retire and a few years later they're dead. My late father did volunteer work full time after 70 and he didn't stop until 95 when health issues slowed him down.

Whether I taste success or fail there will be a fifth startup in my future I promise you.

Great mindset, love it!

> Is there any data on this?

The only data that would be relevant to you is whether or not you can do it. And the most relevant fact to consider is whether or not you want to do it.

Have you fulfilled your professional purpose or not? If so, enjoy your retirement. If not, keep going.

You don't mention this option, but if the kind of work that running a company requires doesn't appeal to you, joining another company might be a path. You could also hire a CEO and become an employee of your own company.

Of course 50 is not too old as long as you have a growth mindset.

But you already had a software company and it "fizzled out" and you got burned out.

So more importantly, have you learned anything from that, and how will you do things differently this time? (That's a rhetorical question for you to ask yourself)

Is one data point enough? Col Sanders was 65 when he founded KFC.

As I see it, you have solid past experience and secure financial foundations. So the question is really more about motivation. If you still enjoy programming and the selling process a business requires to re-start, then why not?

Are there other persons involved? Family or friends who are trying to talk you out of it? Is there something else that you are equally interested in exploring? like traveling the world, starting a different hobby, moving away from SF, etc?

> A 50-year-old founder is twice as likely to build a thriving enterprise that has either an IPO or a successful acquisition as a 30-year-old founder.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kmehta/2022/08/23/older-entrepr...

What aspects of you age do you believe would be relevant to starting a software company?

This really boils down to you, and less about your age.

I've read each of the 26 comments posted thus far. Respectfully, each of them misses the mark by a wide margin.

THIS: Assuming that you're healthy and remain mentally/physically vigorous, answer the below questions authentically:

1. Are you sick and tired of current daily routine and lack of intellectual stimulation? (You're obviously restless, hence posing this question).

2. Have you curated a list of startup ideas that are of interest and within scope of skill-set?

3. Has a restful night of slumber devolved into hours upon hours of visualizing the ONE product that will inspire the drive, discipline and creativity required to build and introducee it to the world?

Go kill it!!

I think https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gould is a good inspiration. Wayne Gould was a retired judge from Hong Kong and learned to program and eventually launch the modern Sudoku craze. My wife is an acquaintance of his ex-wife and it was amusing to hear about his progression - she was the tester for the puzzles he generated and he rated the difficulties of the auto-generated puzzles by timing how fast she solved them. :)

Yes. Please start a company. Life experience is such a valuable asset.

Not sure if this helps or even related to your question, but I was just listening to market place and wanted to share https://www.marketplace.org/2022/10/11/late-career-change-re... (less than 4 minutes)

It depends what you want to do, but selling one piece of software (or a cloud service etc) online or via app stores etc is monumentally more efficient than doing lots of different software development for clients.

The trick with selling one app is finding a solid niche you can successfully build and productize an app/service for.

My old boss started his company at 52, he was running it for a decade when I joined. My dad just started a company (not software) at 75.

I started a company when I was 19, and had no clue what I was doing. There is never a wrong age to start, but as you get older you are more allergic to losing money :)

Was that company of your old boss successful in the end? How many employees did it have?

Define success. He turned revenue and was able to take a salary and pay his employees. I think that’s successful. About 20 employees

Most people who try to start their own company, let alone a software company, fail.

Most people who do so will skew younger for various reasons.

I don't see any reason why you are doomed to failure; especially if you work on bootstrapping something instead of thirsting after VC cash.

Really why are you concerned about this age… you could die tomorrow go do what you want and stop worrying … thats my gut advice.

Start anything , make nothing , there is really no correct answer to your throw away question

Age has everything to do with it, although frankly in the opposite direction you’re imagining: you’ve got wisdom and experience on your side, how could that be anything but a plus.

I am approaching 70 and feel like I am 45.

YES YOU ARE YOUNG ENEOUGH. DO IT!!!!!!!

> I don't have to work for several years

So what have you got to lose?

Time. It's always important, but the older you are the less you have left

All that matters is if you enjoy the journey. The outcome is uncertain.

Does it matter? If you fail you'll still have had fun.

I'm a 30 year old who's too old to start a software company.

But if you want to do it, then go for it. Sounds like you already have the experience.

I think the biggest question is do you given your age, do you have the financial appetite to take the risk.

Why is this a question?

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