That's the point. Google and the rest of the big 4 don't need ordinary plumbers, they need process engineers (the engineers who design the piping at oil refineries and chemical plants) because they are tackling problems that nobody has done ten times, let alone "ten thousand times".

This is how competent managers regard programmers, just so you know.

But that ten-thousandth time, when the standard job goes awry -- that's what makes the difference between a dude showing up to work and a tradesman. The ability to react quickly and appropriately when faced with a brand-new problem is valuable in any role. Pretending otherwise is hubristic at best and kind of gross in general.