3. Suddenly Stupid
If, after years of excellent performance reviews, your boss is reprimanding you for things everyone does or you’re being nitpicked for things the company never cared about in the past, it’s possible that the company is paving its way toward what’s called the “suddenly stupid defense.”
Basically, they are building a case to ditch you for poor performance, trying to create a “legitimate reason” for why they are firing you. In other words, the official version is that you no longer do your job properly, but in fact, they think you’re too old to be at the firm.
If your superior or boss seems to always have something negative to say about your performance, while your younger colleagues do the same things and aren’t reprimanded, you may have an age discrimination claim.