[steelframe]

> they have a hard time finding other opportunities due to a combination of overly narrow experience and ageism

I too know several lifers at IBM. One thing I've realized is that staying loyal to a company over several years won't save you from ageism.

Your best defense against ageism may be to save more than 50% of your tech income for about 20 years, then move into management and build empires until the music stops.