FedEx had very few on site people managing the hardware, it seemed like most work on hardware was done by the suppliers. There were also very few servers there

FedEx had very few on site people managing the hardware, it seemed like most work on hardware was done by the suppliers. There were also very few servers there and actually running, I think the software powering the enterprise took up a lot less than they expected. Either way, I think you're spot on with the "training" part. FedEx was one of the first companies to raise significant capital and pursue a business dependent on technology. It also treated its people very well so relatively few left since the 70's. I think they just didn't train the next generation enough and they realized that those skills are disappearing rapidly because no college grads want to learn old & boring stuff and everyone who does know it costs a lot to keep (FedEx still heavily relied on COBOL when I left ~5yrs ago).