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Am I the only one exhausted by this paid-up charade of 30 under 30 this, 40 under 40 that? 🙏🙏 It all started innocently enough, with magazines like Fortune kicking off their 40 Under 40 in 1999 to rank wealth during the dot-com boom. - But what began as a snapshot of an era has morphed into a bloated industry of self-congratulation, where slots are often less about merit and more about who can pay the right PR firm - In most cases, honorees shell out anywhere from $5-20k through PR agencies to secure their spot, a practice Forbes itself has never fully denied, though they claim a rigorous vetting process .. Take Forbes 30 Under 30, launched in 2011 as a rival to Fortune’s list — it’s now their most profitable franchise, raking in millions from sponsorships and events. And, insiders know it’s a racket, with nominations often boosted by connections or cash rather than raw achievement. In fact, most of these have dedicated sales teams, whose job is to sell these features and awards to entrepreneurs and more. - The Economic Times 40 Under 40 and BW Businessworld 40 Under 40 follow suit, celebrating India’s “brightest” under the guise of editorial integrity - Peel back the curtain, you find that many featured names are backed by well-funded PR campaigns, not organic recognition Most of these lists target glossy profiles with the deepest pockets or loudest hype machines. .. And I am super sure, some would be dying to call me out: “You’re just jealous—you’d kill to be on one of these lists yourself.” Let me dismantle that with cold, hard logic: my frustration isn’t about exclusion; it’s about the sham these lists perpetuate. The data backs this up—Forbes’ own 30 Under 30 has featured over 6k people since 2011, yet how many became household names? - A fraction, while countless others, like Elon Musk (pre-Tesla fame) or Jeff Bezos in his early Amazon days, were too busy building empires - Many others who deserved these spots when they were under 40 couldn’t afford the PR muscle to get noticed These publications know controversy sells — scandals like Forbes 30 Under 30 alum Elizabeth Holmes or Sam Bankman-Fried only amplify their reach. Meanwhile, the average nomination process, open to the public but filtered by editors with limited domain expertise, often misses the real game-changers. Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos never made it under 30 for a reason.