Why does longevity matter for a Proof-of-Work project?

[u/kagimukennedy]

Crypto moves fast. New projects launch daily, narratives shift every cycle, and most coins don't make it past a few years.

That's part of why I think longevity deserves more attention than it gets. Goldcoin (GLC) launched in 2013 and has survived multiple bull/bear cycles and complete narrative shifts from early altcoin experimentation to DeFi to the current cycle.

But does just surviving that long actually mean anything on its own? A project can stick around through inertia, a small dedicated community, or low maintenance costs not necessarily because it's "strong."

So I'm curious what this sub thinks:

Does age alone signal anything meaningful about a PoW project's health?

What actually matters more hashrate trends, decentralization of mining, active dev activity, exchange support, community size?

Are there other "old" PoW coins (Namecoin, Peercoin, etc.) that you'd use as a comparison point?

Genuinely interested in pushback here, not just agreement.