Well, the topic here being the employability of programmers over 40, the statement seems fairly spot on as to how they will be judged - purely based on "business value".
On the hand, programming (at least to me) is so much more. It's a creative activity like thinking or writing, it can be fun and "pointless" play, it can be insightful philosophically. Bringing productivity and efficiency to a business is one of the many applications of this medium of expression. I suppose by this point it's become a way of life, whether I'm solving a business problem or not.
[Business Value of Information Technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_value#Business_Value_...)
On the hand, programming (at least to me) is so much more. It's a creative activity like thinking or writing, it can be fun and "pointless" play, it can be insightful philosophically. Bringing productivity and efficiency to a business is one of the many applications of this medium of expression. I suppose by this point it's become a way of life, whether I'm solving a business problem or not.