This may not have been a violation. Age discrimination is only illegal if the person is over 40. You could easily be “culture fitted out” for being mid-thirties when everyone at a startup is early to mid twenties. And yes, it really is that bad in SV (or at least was pre-COVID, not sure if anything has really changed).
That's federal - some states have laws protecting people less than 40 as well. Also, fun fact, but reverse age discrimination is 100% legal in every state. It's entirely legal to say "We gave X the job because he is 55 and you're only 45", but it is illegal to say "We gave X the job because he is only 45 and you're 55"
