Older Coders on LeetCode and Codeforces | Generated by AI
Question: Are there many people in their 30s or 40s who still do LeetCode or Codeforces?
Answer:
While the majority of active users and high performers on both LeetCode and Codeforces are younger (primarily 18–34 years old), there are still many people in their 30s and 40s participating, especially on LeetCode.
For LeetCode, the platform’s primary audience is skewed toward 25–34-year-olds, but numerous Reddit threads show active participation from older users:
- Many in their late 30s and 40s grind LeetCode for job switches, FAANG interviews, or skill sharpening.
- Examples include 40+ year-olds with kids solving hundreds of problems, people in their 40s landing big tech jobs after grinding, and communities of mid-30s to 45+ users sharing experiences and motivation.
- It’s common for experienced engineers to return to LeetCode when changing jobs, even if they don’t do it daily.
For Codeforces, the user base is even younger, with the largest group being 18–24-year-olds and many starting competitive programming in their teens. Participation drops off in the 30s+ due to life responsibilities (jobs, family), making it rarer to see highly active or top-rated older users. However, some do participate for fun or occasional practice, though “many” would not accurately describe it compared to younger demographics.
In summary, yes for LeetCode (quite a few, driven by career needs), but fewer for Codeforces (mostly younger enthusiasts).
References:
- https://www.similarweb.com/website/leetcode.com/ (LeetCode audience demographics)
- https://www.similarweb.com/website/codeforces.com/ (Codeforces audience demographics)
- https://www.reddit.com/r/leetcode/comments/1kys2gv/anyone_40_here_and_trying_leetcode/ (40+ users on LeetCode)
- https://www.reddit.com/r/leetcode/comments/1mlayj6/anybody_leetcoding_in_late_30s/ (Late 30s LeetCode grinders)
- https://www.reddit.com/r/leetcode/comments/1e7d8me/motivation_for_leetcode_after_40/ (40+ motivation)
- https://www.reddit.com/r/codeforces/comments/1hujwo4/is_30_years_too_old_to_start/ (30+ starting Codeforces)
- https://codeforces.com/blog/entry/61567 (Age discussions on Codeforces)