I really don’t see it being a problem,
Reminds me of the old doctor it hurts when I do this joke.
The 40t is where the 36 would be so the chain line left to right would be the same, so it would ether have something to do with the increased height of the sprocket compared to the chainring or maybe the way the shape of the teeth have been designed and milled, maybe the way they have been designed to easily pick up the chain is what makes it drop off when going backwards and a design tweak could fix it.
The deraileur I can not see having any influence as in normal use it guides the chain on to the sprockets so is on the wrong side of the cassette to influence the chain when pedalling backwards.