First, there are few developers with multiple decades of experience (almost none outside of the tech hubs), while there is a bazillion people entering the marke

First, there are few developers with multiple decades of experience (almost none outside of the tech hubs), while there is a bazillion people entering the market every year. Don't expect to find a lot because they are simply few and outnumbered. You can usually find more in big corporations (cushy work life balance, healthcare and pension), in more traditional industries (defense, finance) and working as contractors or consultants (less corporate bullshit and HR barriers). Last but not least. A non negligible amount of older workers are semi-retired. If you've worked 1980-2010 in NYC/LDN/SF you could have been doing quite well and acquired 2 homes at a fraction of what they are worth now.