I have 30-odd years of experience in the software industry, and I agree with every word. The scuttlebutt around the (free) Nespresso machine is that "they" want a young candidate with 25 years of experience. Here in Switzerland, I have very recently seen a role that was EXPLICITLY advertised for a candidate between 25 and 40.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am HAPPY to be 54 in the year 2020. The alternative is too horrible to think about. (Dead! Pushing up daisies! Shuffled off my perch!) But this shit is illegal in most other countries for good reasons. They may be called "countries" but they're not all run by counts.

Another practically made me a verbal offer when I was on site after their techies saw that I "live" the Clean Code stuff and then backed out based on a "personality test" that had been available beforehand. I hate pseudoscience just a little bit more after that! Won't be submitting myself to one of those again in a hurry - too many people I don't speak to any more would love to know I failed a test for personality. (Bunch of bloody Visual Basic programmers.)

There is no stupidity to which some manager is not capable of stooping.