The Tosser has misunderstood what was said:
In an email sent just before Thanksgiving, Musk told employees that “all managers are expected to write a meaningful amount of software themselves” and equated one’s inability to code as an engineering manager to not being able to ride a horse as a cavalry captain. Musk’s point is salient, and one I’ve made before: Managers need to be able to do the same work as those they are managing.
Managers have become alarmingly distanced from the average worker, making calls based on guesses that aren’t informed by actual labor. This frustrating separation has poisoned most of modern management, creating a class system within organizations where a bloated sect of detached traffic cops extract labor without participating in or properly valuing it.
The next level up of the line management needs to be able to do it, yes. But note that Musk said “engineering” managers and code. There’s no reason that those who manage engineering managers need to be able to code. There’s good reason for a welding manager to be able to weld – but the guy who manages welding managers doesn’t need to be able to.