Not the retiring type: people still working in their 70s, 80s and 90s
theguardian.com
theguardian.com
Personally I see no reason why I should retire, as long as someone is happy to pay me for what I like to do I'll probably keep doing it.
He is incredibly lucid and and claims it's because of his work, which I agree.
Always working - or, in other words, exercising your brain - is a must to keep your memories and sanity.
And this is why I never plan to give up programming and learning new tech. Constant brain stimulation.
<blanket statement warning> Silicon Valley's emphasis on young programmers and engineers in general is silly.
Much of the startup culture is not about researching new involved technical solutions, or crafting something complex and intricate, but getting a simple social idea backed by stock tech out the door quickly & cheaply to effectively pull the slot machine lever.
It is stupid and self-defeating beyond the immediate short term. But you can see where they come from, and they knowingly take the risk of patching up later once they have some success.
Besides, michaelochurch probably has a few downvotes by reflex at this point.
The problem in the Valley is that the dominant culture is now set by the people who moved West to take advantage of nerds and their poor negotiating skills. There's a personality type and it's not a good one.
There are oilmen and coal miners and gold miners in the world, and Silicon Valley's leadership is comprised almost entirely of people miners who turn young male quixotry into gold. It's Hollywood for Ugly People.
I don't dislike all business people. As with any other group, there are good ones who think long term and bad ones who raid companies and fail up. Technology just seems to be dominated, about 10-to-1, by the bad ones.
Underestimating the power ratio between capital and labor, they're easily tricked into believing that hard work can overcome the massive social distance between them and the investor/founder caste. The best thing for them isn't a foolhardy attempt to "turn themselves into gold" in the short term; it's to leave and then to build something better in the long run.
If someone has a blend of sensitivity to history with a nice dose of inspiration and creativity, whatever his age, hire him.
Creativity not guided by experience tends towards the wheel.
The trick is to find something else to dedicate oneself to. One old man I know is an avid gardener, and gets up in the morning to tend to every single plant in his garden. Another one dedicated himself to Olympic sports and probably learned the name of every single athlete who competes in the games. I also know an older lady who joined a volunteer organization and found meaning in helping those in need.
While I respect people who continue to work after they retire, in my opinion they do that simply because work is their "safe zone" and they're afraid of letting go and branching out into other things. This tends to be more likely for people who own a business or practice: they feel they need to be at the helm at all times to prevent it from falling apart.
There are also people who have been workhaholics throughout their career and haven't developed any meaningful hobbies. For them, life is work, and work is life. So they chug along until they die. I have less respect for those people, because for every old person who refuses to retire, there's a younger person who isn't getting promoted to their spot, or hired.
On the plus side, he was remarkably sharp and agile for a 70 year old. But his legs are starting to fail and that's made him age very quickly.
Now I can see it being about money (and health care), he's going to need knee replacement surgery and months of rehab. Something my parents will struggle to afford.
He's lived a fascinating life, and is full of stories, but to me he's also a warning about the need to cultivate non-work interests and stash away enough money to enjoy a long retirement enjoying those interests.
(With apologies to John Wayne)
Many useful tasks are pleasurable, why not take advantage of that?
He was extremely knowledgeable, and kept a lucid mind until the very end. I don't doubt that his work was the main reason for this.
I am scared to death about my retirement. I only have 25 more years in this industry, at most, I have no pension (no employer has ever offered one), a student loan, I'm struggling to save for a deposit for a house while prices rise at eye-watering rates and I'm supporting a parent who has no assets or job.
I've met blind programmers and programmers that can't use their hands. If they can do it, we can do it, even if we have arthritis and become legally blind.
Edit: also if i become unemployable due to ageism, i've alrady decided will create a persona online of a 30 year old and only take remote jobs.
My personal sense was that if my hands or my eyes ever became useless (e.g. RSI, worsening eyestrain issues), I'm finished.
What about millions of people who are the "retiring type", but have to work well into their 70s in shitty jobs (from Walmart and downwards) to make ends meet.
I see professors in their 70s and beyond still teaching. I collaborate with one.
The people that are forced to work in shitty jobs will keep on doing shitty jobs.
Edit: It's on Netflix.