Earlier quoted context omitted.
nicenewtemp84 believes that large companies layoff engineers based on skill. The truth: Eenie meenie miny moe
ReflectedImage thinks large companies layoff engineers based on a random number picker. The truth: everyone knows who the underperformers are.
AFAICT, companies are both jettisoning entire departments related to bad bets (or bad business models) and preparing for anticipated recession-level revenues.
Skills are not perfectly fungible. Managers making layoff decisions based on the roles/skills they need to keep and what budget they can afford. This necessarily means that some underperformers will be retained and many overperformers will be cut.