Any company over about 200 employees is not going to perform layoffs this way. They will perform layoffs by strategic function and job role, not by a descendin

Any company over about 200 employees is not going to perform layoffs this way. They will perform layoffs by strategic function and job role, not by a descending sort on the payroll database. R&D roles tend to be more stable than most other role types, as long as the company is on a general growth trajectory for the overall strategy. Once a company stagnates, R&D roles tend to be the least stable. What roles are the biggest target for layoffs generally has more to do with the industry the company is in and where it is on the maturity cycle than whether or not an individual person is being paid +20% over their cohort. In any sufficiently larger company they don't even look at salary outliers, because it's irrelevant at that scale first of all, and because salary outliers usually exists for a reason secondly. Also, people should just stop expecting job stability. The evidence is blatant and public that this simply isn't a thing for anyone. Instead, you should work on maximizing successful outcomes in your life and career regardless of which employer's logo is on your paycheck/badge. Having a budget, having an investment plan, and actively building up and managing your savings are just important life skills for success irrespective of how much you get paid and where you work. The more money you make, though, makes everything else easier. It is a fruitless and misguided plan to try to make /less/ just so you can "stay under the radar". Not only does it not work, but it's actually self-sabotaging.