In software, I think that there is a qualitative difference between managers who have programmed- at any level of experience, even if it was a long time ago- an

In software, I think that there is a qualitative difference between managers who have programmed- at any level of experience, even if it was a long time ago- and those who have not. Some exposure gives them a more realistic notion of what is hard, what is easy, and what is bullshit. Beyond this, programming skills and specific technical knowledge can be useful as a manager, but I'm dubious that they are as essential as this article implies. I further imagine that a similar pattern holds for other technical fields- you need some basic grounding, but do not need to be a technical expert to manage.