I was always afraid of being laid off and when I was in this situation always started actively interviewing and ultimately jumped the ship before I was on the c

I was always afraid of being laid off and when I was in this situation always started actively interviewing and ultimately jumped the ship before I was on the chopping block. I was laid off for the first time in my career right before Covid (very unfortunate timing) and got a decent severance package which allowed me to regroup, take a breather, and retool while still having some income (I am also in my 40s and also have savings to fall back on). So if I were you I'd keep chugging along while quietly getting ready for possible layoff (go through training, certification, work on your network, etc). The main danger is if they start actively looking for excuses to fire you (e.g., they might find issues with your performance and put you on PIP and subsequently fire you). My understanding is that companies try not to do that, word travels and potential employees might be hesitant to work there. Especially with people in protected categories (you are over 40) which is a liability. So it's more likely even if they decide to push you out they'd force you to resign to avoid paying severance. Can confirm that aging discrimination in IT is a thing, esp. if you are still a developer. It simply means you might spend more time looking comparing to a junior guy. Good luck.