Good point, I've seen top performers laid off because of (what I assume) comes down to a cost-benefit analysis. Top performers may get paid significantly more,

Good point, I've seen top performers laid off because of (what I assume) comes down to a cost-benefit analysis. Top performers may get paid significantly more, and may present more of a challenge to management (or challenge management more). My layoff survival strategy comes down to costing too much to get rid of. I do that by mastering and turning into the go-to for some critical part of the infrastructure the other developers shun. Most often that means the database, but it could mean the cloud setup or even details of the business domain. If no one else in the organization can take over my work without significant time and cost I will get scratched off the layoff spreadsheet. I survived a few layoffs that way, watching more senior people get walked out. Of course when your employer starts laying off you should start planning your own exit, but avoiding the first wave or two will give you some breathing room.