There are 40 year-olds who are obviously 40 year-olds, complete with greying beards, burgeoning bellies, and a wardrobe consisting of nothing but polo shirts acquired from years of conference attendance.
And then there are 40 year-olds who could pass for 30.
My intuition is that the likelihood of ageism being subconsciously or otherwise invoked in the former case is vastly larger.
In this sense, it is a lot like racism or sexism in the case of "culture" fitting. The desire to appear young and nimble, as a company, is a significant part of whatever demographic they are shooting for, outwardly.
There are 40 year-olds who are obviously 40 year-olds, complete with greying beards, burgeoning bellies, and a wardrobe consisting of nothing but polo shirts acquired from years of conference attendance.
And then there are 40 year-olds who could pass for 30.
My intuition is that the likelihood of ageism being subconsciously or otherwise invoked in the former case is vastly larger.
In this sense, it is a lot like racism or sexism in the case of "culture" fitting. The desire to appear young and nimble, as a company, is a significant part of whatever demographic they are shooting for, outwardly.