> Setting IT maintenance as a core strategy, rather than something that serves a strategy, is complete death. Employees better hope they like the dead end career they have at such a company, because it’s going to cut them off from any lifeline to relevancy.

I think you have it completely backwards. As an example, having competency maintaining core banking systems is a far safer career long-term than working at some fancy crypto fintech. Work on stuff that's actually important, don't waste your best years on the hype-train of the season headed nowhere.