And do we really care what a developer is, be it age, previous non-tech job experience, or any other metric? It almost seems like an Internet meme at this point.
And those kids ... inexperienced, no mortgage, no creditors, no "real world" responsibilities ... absolutely see it.
When someone builds something using the tools at hand and the experience they have, it definitely matters as to how old they are, and how much they've done. That shapes how you give feedback, both in style and content.
I know a lot of bright, intelligent, keen, motivated kids, and in every way I encourage them to go and build things that they think are relevant and important, even if I don't agree. The experience will shape them and make them better.
> it definitely matters as to how old they are, and how much they've done.
No, it doesn't. Either the tool is good/useful or it isn't. Everything about this tool is AI slop, from the website to the utility itself.
I didn’t start this to build a "startup." I started it because I was tired of watching the people I care about lose their dignity. I’ve watched my parents and their friends—people with incredible skills and decades of experience—sit in front of screens until 2 AM, sending resumes into what looks like a black hole.
They get automated rejections from algorithms before a human even sees their name. It’s reached a point where the modern job search feels less like a professional process and more like a humiliation ritual. We’ve turned the human desire to contribute into a cold, mechanical lottery where the odds are stacked against the individual.
I’m just a kid, and I’m definitely still learning how to build "proper" software. But I couldn't stay quiet. I built FutuRole to give the power back to the candidate—to help them bypass the filters and be seen as humans again.
But here is the question I want to ask this community:
As builders and engineers, we are the ones who created these automated systems. We built the ATS, the filters, and the algorithms. At what point did we decide that a PDF is a sufficient proxy for a human life? And if the system is this broken for everyone involved, why are we still doubling down on it instead of reinventing how we find each other?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on whether we can actually fix hiring with more tech, or if the "human" element is gone for good.
I'm also open to any feedback on the tool itself. I'm 16, so please be brutal—I want to make this actually work for people.
And I've worked with many youngsters who have significant amounts of empathy. They feel the pain almost as if it's their own.
>> definitely matters as to how old they are, and how much they've done.
> No, it doesn't. Either the tool is good/useful or it isn't.
So if a developer with decades of experience in writing software would receive exactly the same feedback from you as a 16-year-old writing their first project?
If not, if you would tailor your feedback, then it does matter how old they are.