The New York Times Magazine

The growing chasm between Silicon Valley's next-generation of technology workers and the old guard might limit the creation of truly meaningful technology, as young professionals strive to rapidly create cool apps while ignoring other areas of technology, writes Columbia University computer science graduate student Yiren Lu. Many young workers lack interest in the less glamorous areas of technology such as semiconductors, data storage, and networking, although these tools provide the foundation for Web 2.0 applications. Startups are recruiting the best technology talent, leaving some observers to wonder why today's top engineers are choosing to work for sexting apps rather than helping to cure cancer or fix healthcare.gov, Lu writes. Young people are drawn to work for startups because they offer a cachet and excitement that established firms lack. To read further, please visit http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/magazine/silicon-valleys-youth-problem.html.