Youth Is Wasted on the Young – But Do They Even Get a Say?

There's the old saying: youth is wasted on the young. The implication is simple. Young people have the energy, the ideals, the health. But they lack experience, wisdom, and the memories to truly put what they have into perspective and appreciate it.

There's some truth in that, but it's only half the story.

Yes, youth comes with energy, health, and the wild ambition to see the world anew. Young people spot where things need to change, where they want to build something better for their future. But is youth really wasted on the young? I don't think so. The real problem is that young people often don't get a say at all. Whenever they want to change something, they're told to wait their turn.

Their lack of experience becomes a reason to deny them the chance to act. They haven't been around long enough. They don't "get" how the system works. So, for most of history and in most places, the cycle repeats:

Spend your youth improving yourself inside the old system. Pay your dues. Wait. Only after you've finally climbed up, maybe - if you're lucky - you get a shot at real change.

But by then, most are more invested in keeping the system going than in transforming it. Why take the risk when your own time, energy, and health have already been spent?

Maybe the real tragedy isn't youth being wasted on the young, but society failing to give the young a chance to change things while they still have the drive and vitality to do it.

The Gates of Permission

In most countries, systems are built to decide who's allowed to try, to build, to lead, or to disrupt. It's based on experience, seniority, or status after a long game of climbing social or corporate ladders. It sounds reasonable - experience helps avoid old mistakes. But too often, it becomes a mechanism for stalling change.

When you're young, you're told:

• "Come back after you've worked more."
• "Get another degree."
• "Wait your turn, then you'll have a shot."

At first, it seems harmless. But years slip by accumulating credentials and learning to fit in. The price? Your health, energy, and most importantly, your ideals, begin to fade. The longer you spend adjusting to the rules, the more disillusioned you become.

Or maybe, this is the illusion: We work in systems with rules we didn't set, until we're too worn out to challenge them. Only then are we "trusted" with the keys. And the doors that were locked when we were young are only opened after we've spent a lifetime convincing ourselves not to walk through them.

Experience as Permission, Not Preparation

Experience and understanding are essential. But too often, experience becomes a form of permission, not just preparation. This gatekeeping quietly ensures the energy and ideas of each new generation are spent maintaining the old order, not challenging it. The result? Stagnation.

This stagnation can be mistaken for stability, but only if the environment never changes. In reality, the environment is always changing - faster and faster every year. We see it in politics, in business, and in science. The average age of leaders, CEOs, policymakers, and principal investigators keeps rising, even as the world demands faster, more creative responses.

The cost of waiting is high:

• Young people become frustrated, disengaged, or cynical.
• The best ideas go unheard or are never voiced at all.
• The same old mistakes get repeated, just by people with "experience."

What Youth Brings: Energy, Rebellion, and Restlessness

Let's be honest, energy without experience can be reckless. Youth is not always right, but it is always restless. That restlessness is what drives progress. Young people have a personal stake in the future - they're building for themselves, not just preserving what already exists. They're not afraid to break things, to ask why, or to ignore "that's the way it's always been done." Restlessness is not just a trait, it's the engine of social and technological change.

Look at the people who have changed the world: Einstein published his greatest works at 26. Marie Curie changed physics before 35. Alan Turing, Ada Lovelace, the Wright brothers - most acted while still fueled by the wild mix of energy and naïveté that makes real innovation possible.

The Californian Exception

There's a reason the United States, specifically California, remains a global engine of innovation. It's not that Americans are inherently smarter or luckier, but that the system here, is built to let the young and driven take big swings - especially in San Francisco. Here, moving to San Francisco is almost a rite of passage - a signal you're serious, ready to play the real game. For founders, dreamers, and innovators landing in San Francisco shows you're serious, that you mean business and that you are willing to take risks.

In the US, it's not just accepted but celebrated for a 20-year-old to drop out of college, start a company, or try something no one has ever tried. Fail fast, try again - here, that's a norm, not a disaster. The assumption is not "wait your turn," it's "show us what you can do." Yes, you have to earn trust, but you do it with the work that fires you up, not just by waiting for permission.

Even failure is respected as part of the journey. Take Steve Jobs - fired from Apple, the company he founded, only to return and transform it into one of the most valuable companies in history. Or look at Elon Musk - before Tesla and SpaceX succeeded, he faced near-bankruptcy and multiple rocket launch failures.

Most innovators here fail several times before they succeed. Reid Hoffman's SocialNet failed before LinkedIn. Stewart Butterfield created a failed game before Slack. These setbacks aren't career-ending - they're seen as valuable experience.

Let's face it - all major innovation comes with failure, setbacks and opposition. The Wright brothers crashed numerous times before achieving powered flight. Edison famously found thousands of ways not to make a light bulb before succeeding. During wartime, this acceptance of failure accelerated innovation - the development of radar, computers, and jet engines all came through rapid iteration, where failure was accepted as a necessary step toward progress.

You can be young and right, or young and wrong, but you'll be heard either way. Mark Zuckerberg was 19 when he started Facebook. Bill Gates was 20 when he founded Microsoft. Their age didn't stop them from pursuing their vision.

This is vastly different from most other places in the world, where failure can permanently mark your career and youth is seen as a liability rather than an asset.

Societies where hierarchy and decision power are governed strictly by age - not even by experience - see far less innovation and novelty. Technical strength may be high, but the innovation hub is elsewhere.

Stability vs. Disruption

Many societies value stability over disruption. The social contract is: Work hard, obey the rules, wait your turn, and you'll get a safe place in the world.

But the price is risk-aversion. Mistakes are punished, sometimes for a lifetime. The hierarchy protects itself - those in power know how much they sacrificed to get there, and aren't eager to make it easier for others.

By the time someone finally has permission to make changes, the impulse is gone. Life responsibilities make risk-taking unthinkable. Most remember how hard it was to get there, and why.

Creative Destruction Needs Both

Ancient wisdom puts youth and age in tension for a reason. The best societies find ways to merge the two: Let the experienced teach, but don't let them block the door. Let the young act, but give them mentors - help them learn from past mistakes, not just enforce tradition.

Growth in biology happens at the edges. Cities with the youngest populations are the most innovative, and, yes, the most chaotic. In science, new paradigms are often proposed by outsiders - young or simply uninterested in defending old rules.

The Pragmatic Path Forward

Experience matters, it helps you survive the fallout from energetic mistakes. But experience without energy is just maintenance. Energy without experience is just noise. The two need each other.

We need leaders who remember what it's like to be hungry, and leaders who are hungry. We need young people who can listen, but who aren't afraid to challenge.

The best organizations, startups, and societies figure out how to let the youth try, fail, learn, and try again before they are too tired to want to.

Your Turn Is Now

If you're young, don't wait for permission. If you're experienced, don't close the door behind you. Society doesn't move forward by making everyone wait for their energy to run out before they get a chance. It moves forward when it recognizes the value of energy and experience, and lets them combine.

The future belongs to those with the energy, who build it early and often. If you feel like this should be you, don't let anyone convince you to wait until you're too tired to care.