You find them at big companies. I knew some great coders in their 40s and 50s at SAP. They mostly weren't the "I could rewrite this whole subsystem this weeke

You find them at big companies. I knew some great coders in their 40s and 50s at SAP. They mostly weren't the "I could rewrite this whole subsystem this weekend" sorts, more "I've solved variations on this problem since before you could write your name. If you'll shut up for a second I'll show you how it's done." I think there are plenty of places where coding wisdom is valued. They're just not the same places, generally, that thrive on geek bravado.