Communications of the ACM
Silicon Valley's Youth Problem
A Columbia University computer science graduate student says the creation of truly meaningful technology might be limited by the growing chasm between Silicon Valley's next generation of technology workers and the old guard.
Credit: Tim Enthoven
The growing chasm between Silicon Valley's next generation of technology workers and the old guard might limit the creation of truly meaningful technology, as young professionals strive to rapidly create cool apps while ignoring other areas of technology, writes Columbia University computer science graduate student Yiren Lu.
Many young workers lack interest in the less-glamorous areas of technology such as semiconductors, data storage, and networking, although these tools provide the foundation for Web 2.0 applications.
Startups are recruiting the best technology talent, leaving some observers to wonder why today's top engineers are choosing to work for sexting apps rather than helping to cure cancer or fix healthcare.gov, Lu writes. Young people are drawn to work for startups because they offer a cachet and excitement that established firms lack.
Although many traditional companies also have impressive talent, older engineers often have skill mismatches with startups and reservations about the startup lifestyle. The role of academia in entrepreneurship is waning, as easy-to-use programming frameworks and application programming interfaces offer simple solutions to entrepreneurs who used to have to write their own code. Lu says the technology industry could benefit from combining the entrepreneurial enthusiasm and creativity of the next generation with the technical expertise and impact of the older generation.
From The New York Times Magazine
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