Some people aren’t using LLMs to do development. Some people aren’t doing stuff in hyperscaler clouds. Some people don’t work in environments where code is allowed near LLMs. Some people are and some people do. This is perfectly fine and to be expected.
Wait until he needs another job and then comes crying about “ageism” when it’s actually he didn’t keep up with the latest trends.
As opposed as I am to doing any side work, you better believe if I were in an environment that doesn’t allow me to keep up with latest trends, I would be playing with it on the side.
Before the shit show of the current employment market, I would be looking for another job if I saw I was getting behind technically.