... not about the hiring decisions, but the firing decisions
... and, the criteria by which they make those decisions.
And that criteria is "eliminate the most expensive employees" which as far as I understand is legal in the US. I'm sure it's simply Pure Chance(tm) that the most expensive workers tend to be older, with more time on the job, therefore more highly paid and with larger share of benefits and employment costs like health insurance.
As an example, imagine Specialist A who costs 150k per year (salary and benefits), Spec B only 30k ... A is an American employee with 10 years on the job and just happens to be over age 40, B is in Romania or Brazil or one of Big Blue's other 'offshore' centers, been working for 5 years and just happens to be under the age of 30. Who keeps their job with Big Blue has never been a matter of who has appropriate skills and knowledge.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
