RIF-ing older coworkers allows them to clear larger salaries off the books while also lowering their insurance hit (older coworkers need more care than 20-somethings). They save on salary, insurance costs, knowledge of what the company once was (better), they have more leverage over job-hungry people than tenured coworkers, etc. It's the same reason they gave us 'FlexTO'. Just a way to remove liability off the books. Terrible.
Culture here is struggling. I know senior leaders read this. Actually do something about this. Stop being so outrageously and transparently greedy. Coworkers aren't making million dollar stock trades. We are regular people trying to get by. You hammer the sellers and then demand more of them. Back office getting hit. Tough.