Sounds like you've only worked for bad managers. I'm not surprised, many companies protect them, and in fact promote them! I've worked for too many bad managers

Sounds like you've only worked for bad managers. I'm not surprised, many companies protect them, and in fact promote them! I've worked for too many bad managers, so I feel your pain. But also sounds like you've never worked for good managers. They may not do actual work (but many do!), but they definitely know about the technology. They ensure blockers are removed, questions are answered, obstacles are overcome, and that motivation remains high. They may or may not be rarer that bad managers, but they do exist!