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Cancelling 30 Under 30

The Tyranny of Thirty

The Artificial Deadline That’s Ruining a Generation

→ Read the next essay: Your Thirties Aren’t What They Used to Be

The tyranny of thirty has become the most pernicious deadline of our culture — a guillotine over the necks of ambitious twenty-somethings at tech startups in Silicon Valley, artist studios in Bed-Stuy, and influencer houses in West Hollywood.

All of them chanting the same frantic mantra:

“I gotta make it by thirty.”

Thirty is the line in the sand — the point beyond which “high potential” resolves into undeniable achievement or probable irrelevance.

And there’s a hint of truth in their words. Early success enables you to compound your gains and many of our culture’s most iconic figures got their start at a young age:

• Taylor Swift won her first Album of the Year Grammy at age 20.
• Mr. Beast became the world’s most subscribed YouTuber at age 26.
• John and Patrick Collison became the world’s youngest billionaires at ages 26 and 28.
• Kehinde Wiley began his iconic Rumors of War series at age 29.