They are getting rid of the knowledgeable people first. The management doesn't like having anyone around that knows anything and can contradict them. Managers lack the basic understanding of how anything works and so they make the assumption in their heads, that one developer is just as good as another. Doesn't work that way.
Any DOA project you see.... someone left or was forced to leave that was needed... then the management flounders around making up excuses for themselves and blaming the people that are left. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
This was originally posted by @VJVsutY-2nvy . I think this is the bitter truth. The more you have knowledge, the more they see you as someone who can endanger them.