--- title: Silicon Valley Ageism Prompts More Plastic Surgery in Tech World description: More like Silicone Valley canonical: https://time.com/35524/ageism-in-silicon-valley-is-causing-an-uptick-in-plastic-surgeries/ author: Laura Stampler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-03-24T16:50:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:08:06.012Z og:title: Ageism in Silicon Valley Is Causing an Uptick in Plastic Surgeries og:description: More like Silicone Valley og:url: https://time.com/35524/ageism-in-silicon-valley-is-causing-an-uptick-in-plastic-surgeries/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt381e0816cb39e12a/698686eee53aba29e24d1a4d/130845171.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6048 og:image:height: 3402 og:image:alt: plastic surgery og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ageism in Silicon Valley Is Causing an Uptick in Plastic Surgeries twitter:description: More like Silicone Valley twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt381e0816cb39e12a/698686eee53aba29e24d1a4d/130845171.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ageism in Silicon Valley Is Causing an Uptick in Plastic Surgeries > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=7b5a99ac-6104-4d54-93b4-32c13c525cd6&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=7b5a99ac-6104-4d54-93b4-32c13c525cd6&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=7b5a99ac-6104-4d54-93b4-32c13c525cd6&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Mar 24, 2014 4:50 PM UTC  Patient having a Botox injection Patient having a Botox injection Getty Images by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Mar 24, 2014 4:50 PM UTC In 2007, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made the declaration, “Young people are just smarter.” [Reports of extreme ageism](http://www.sfgate.com/business/bottomline/article/In-Silicon-Valley-age-can-be-a-curse-4742365.php) in Silicon Valley — requiring [non-millennials to swap loafers for Converse](http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/27/us-valley-ageism-idUSBRE8AQ0JK20121127) — aren’t new. But [according to an article in _The New Republic_](http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117088/silicons-valleys-brutal-ageism), many older techies’ faces are. Noam Scheiber writes that the plastic surgery industry in Silicon Valley is having its own tech boom all so people (sometimes as young as 26) don’t look a day over 30\. Ever. “It’s really morphed into, ‘Hey, I’m forty years old and I have to get in front of a board of fresh-faced kids. I can’t look like I have a wife and two-point-five kids and a mortgage,'” cosmetic surgeon Seth Matarasso told _TNR_. He noted that there are a lot more men, and they’re getting a lot younger. Some plastic surgeons are trying to capitalize on the fear of aging in the Valley. In December, San Francisco Plastic Surgery & Laser Center rationalized in a [blog post enticing potential new clientele: ](http://www.sfcosmeticsurgery.com/age-discrimination-plastic-surgery) --- > “” --- Even though ageism is [100% illegal](http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/age.cfm), as boomers see an unwelcome resurgence of the “Don’t trust anyone over 30” mentality, it appears that many would rather go under the knife than file an age discrimination lawsuit. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/35524/ageism-in-silicon-valley-is-causing-an-uptick-in-plastic-surgeries/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/35524/ageism-in-silicon-valley-is-causing-an-uptick-in-plastic-surgeries/"},"headline":"Ageism in Silicon Valley Is Causing an Uptick in Plastic Surgeries","datePublished":"2014-03-24T16:50:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:08:06.012Z","description":"More like Silicone Valley","url":"https://time.com/35524/ageism-in-silicon-valley-is-causing-an-uptick-in-plastic-surgeries/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Living","plastic surgery","Tech","Silicon Valley","Cosmetics"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt381e0816cb39e12a/698686eee53aba29e24d1a4d/130845171.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laura Stampler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt381e0816cb39e12a/698686eee53aba29e24d1a4d/130845171.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"plastic surgery","caption":"130845171","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/35524/ageism-in-silicon-valley-is-causing-an-uptick-in-plastic-surgeries/","name":"Ageism in Silicon Valley Is Causing an Uptick in Plastic Surgeries"}}]}] ```