It is dismaying that old people need to die for anything to improve.
A morbid topic, and a generalization, but it rings true. You know this, perhaps not consciously, but you’ve felt it. You’ve likely experienced something similar in your own life.
Whether in politics, industry, entertainment, or, worse, science, old people occupy their hard-earned positions of leadership, blocking anything new. They remain fixated on their old ways of doing things, their outdated processes, blind to the advances of technology. Stuck on pen and paper, clinging to traditions, their inertia often does more harm than good.
Entertainment
By now, I believe you’ve heard of a gaming company, with a name starting with “N”, a giant in the market since the 1980s. Their most iconic symbols are a moustachioed plumber and enters pipes, and creatures that battle each other, resting in red-and-white balls. If ever there was an example of outdated leadership, this company is it. What better example than a company that sells entertainment, making content-creators afraid of even pronouncing its name or their games.
Sure, they make good games. But their internal culture, policies, public relations, and even the network interactions on their consoles scream of a company stuck in the past. Every non-game-related headline about them is about lawsuits (sometimes absurdly unjustified) or their refusal to adopt features that the industry standardized over a decade ago. The root cause? Decision-makers stuck in the mindset of when they sold playing cards. Still making the same decisions that made sense 50 years ago but that are no longer relevant in the current days, yet they cling to them.
Industry
A classic example is Kodak, that a while ago was a giant in photography, their leadership saw the digital revolution coming but ignored it. They chose instead to stay rooted in old processes and technologies. While more factors contributed to Kodak’s fall, their resistance to innovation played a massive role.
Politics
Don’t even get me started here. Many regulations were written centuries ago, in times when most people couldn’t read, plastic didn’t exist, most of the periodic table was but the imagination of a couple of people, and the population was a fraction of what it is today. Yet these laws remain, dictating how leaders are elected, what can and cannot be taught in schools, and even how salmon must be handled (yes, the fish!).
The common thread? Old people stuck in the past. Of course, corruption, lobbying, and religion also play a role, but the refusal to adapt or embrace change is a massive barrier.
Science
Worst of all is science. Here, innovation should be the driving force, yet it is frequently blocked by leadership clinging to outdated traditions. Ironically, in a field defined by the pursuit of new knowledge, old mentalities often stifle progress.
The saying, “Science advances one funeral at a time,” captures this reality. New ideas, theses, and discoveries are delayed, or outright blocked, by established figures unwilling to learn something new (ironical) or risk losing credit to someone younger or lower in the hierarchy.
One glaring example: Nuclear energy. Decades of stagnation in its development can be traced to Cold War-era thinking. Had innovation been embraced, we could have near-universal access to clean, cheap energy today. The air could be cleaner. Climate change debates might not be as urgent. But no, “old” gatekeepers have stymied progress.
Everyday Impact
This doesn’t just happen at the highest levels of leadership with worldwide decisions; you see it in your own office or school. Middle management, in particular, is often a bottleneck. Ideas and innovations from employees rarely reach the top because middle managers suppress them. They don’t want to learn new methods, disrupt their routine, or risk someone else getting the credit.
Their mantra? “Let’s just keep doing what we’ve always done, collect our paycheck, go home, watch TV, and have a beer.”
And sadly, there isn’t much do to here, except to hope that when it’s my turn, I won’t do the same. Hope to have direct leaders unafraid of change. And, in the realm of science and progress, hope for the next funeral.
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