Maybe if your view of "this industry" stops at Silicon Valley startups. But there has always been a place for older programmers / hackers in the world, and there's a reason the stereotype of the "UNIX Greybeard" exists in the first place.

Personally, If I had money to spend hiring people, I'd hire Captain Crunch in a heartbeat. Hell, I'd hire him to do nothing but sit around and smoke weed all day, and appear at events and what-not, just to support a legend like this. And think about the "geek cred" of being the company that John Draper works for.

It's too bad Capt. Crunch has fallen on such hard times. I wonder what's happened since this article was written?