A Mumbai startup hiring a 64-year-old intern recently went viral for all the right reasons.
When Joshua Salins, the 26-year-old founder of The Hobby Tribe, shared the story online, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Thousands applauded the decision.
Many called it inspiring. Others simply said it was how things should be. It was a feel-good story. But the reaction also revealed something more uncomfortable.
Why did a single hiring decision by a small startup attract so much attention? Why did it feel exceptional? The answer lies in the reality of age bias in India’s workplaces.
Ageism In Indian Workplaces
According to Randstad India’s 2024 study on workplace ageism, 31 percent of employees in India have experienced age-related discrimination.
Sixty-one percent of respondents said job advertisements contain age biases, either through explicit age requirements or through experience criteria that effectively discourage older candidates.
Ageism is not unique to India. The World Health Organization’s 2021 Global Report on Ageism found that one in two people globally hold ageist attitudes. The report described ageism as one of the most widespread and socially accepted forms of discrimination.
In India, the problem often begins long before an interview takes place.
Job descriptions emphasizing “young and dynamic” teams or specifying limited experience ranges can discourage older applicants before they even apply.
Recruitment Bias Against Seniors
Recruitment processes have become increasingly digital. Companies rely heavily on applicant tracking systems and automated screening tools to process large numbers of applications.
Technology itself is not the problem. But automated systems reflect the assumptions built into them. If employers prioritize younger candidates, technology can amplify those preferences.
Unlike discrimination based on gender, caste or religion, age bias rarely attracts public attention. Most candidates facing it simply move on quietly.
As a result, the issue remains largely invisible.
India’s Missing Legal Protection
One reason age discrimination receives relatively little attention is the absence of dedicated legal safeguards.
India does not have a specific law that prohibits age discrimination in employment. The Constitution guarantees protection against discrimination on grounds such as religion, race, caste, sex and place of birth, but age is not explicitly included.
There is no equivalent of the United States’ Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, which protects workers aged 40 and above.
In practical terms, individuals who believe they have been denied opportunities because of their age have limited avenues for legal recourse.
Startup Culture And Youth
The issue becomes particularly visible in India’s startup ecosystem.
For years, startup culture has celebrated youthful founders and young teams. Stories of entrepreneurs building companies before the age of 30 have become central to the industry’s mythology.
Energy, speed and disruption are prized characteristics. Yet the emphasis on youth can sometimes overshadow another valuable asset: experience.
Ironically, diversity and inclusion have become increasingly important priorities for many companies. Discussions around gender diversity, disability inclusion and LGBTQIA+ representation have gained momentum. Age diversity, however, remains largely absent from these conversations.
Experience Seen As Liability
Older professionals often encounter two assumptions.
The first is that they are too expensive. Decades of experience usually translate into higher salary expectations, leading some employers to view them as a cost rather than an investment.
The second assumption is that they are resistant to change. There is a belief that workers with long careers behind them will struggle to adapt to new technologies and evolving business models.
Neither assumption applies universally. Yet both continue to influence hiring decisions.
Economic Cost Of Ageism
The consequences extend beyond fairness.
Randstad’s study found that employees experiencing ageism often report being overlooked for promotions, training opportunities and new responsibilities. Instead of being developed, many gradually find themselves sidelined.
That has economic consequences as well.
Experience represents institutional memory, industry expertise and the ability to navigate uncertainty. Those capabilities are accumulated over decades and cannot be easily replaced.
The same Randstad study found that age-related discrimination was particularly prevalent in India’s information technology and pharmaceutical sectors, where 43 percent of respondents reported experiencing it.
More Than A Viral Post
Which brings the story back to that 64-year-old intern.
He stepped into a workplace filled with people young enough to be his grandchildren. He embraced a new role and continued learning. His enthusiasm reportedly left such an impression that the young founder described hiring him as one of his best decisions.
People celebrated the story because it was uplifting.
But perhaps they also celebrated it because it represented something many instinctively recognize should not be unusual. Curiosity does not have an expiry date. Neither does the willingness to learn, contribute or begin again.
A single viral hiring story cannot solve India’s ageism problem. But it highlights a question that deserves far more attention.
In a country that often speaks about diversity and inclusion, should experience be treated as an asset to be valued or a liability to be discarded? The answer will shape not only careers, but the kind of workforce India chooses to build.
