How useful is the guy who thinks about algorithmic complexity but doesn't code? At the end of the day, someone's got to write the code that runs on your server

How useful is the guy who thinks about algorithmic complexity but doesn't code? At the end of the day, someone's got to write the code that runs on your servers. It doesn't magically transfer from that paper covered in pencil markings. The actual conclusion of the piece made sense to me- all 3 were worthy of offers, for different reasons. Not hiring all three has less to do with how good the economy is (that was a non-sequitor) and more to do with the needs of the particular company at this particular moment. Right now they need people to design algorithms and to code. They need both, and their company doesn't advance if they only have one and not the other.