You are simply wrong. WTF is with all the misinformation in this thread? Of course, the big tech companies staff their projects, yes including cutting edge stuff, with BS grads. Maybe they'll expect you to do some grunt work too starting out, but that's just life. You're going to pay your dues, even if you skip college (possibly even more so)

It's not just them either, there are tons of non-FAANG jobs that pay very well and do cool things, that recruit recent grads. There isn't even consensus in the industry that further education is valuable; sometimes people don't even trust those that go this route (I think this is a bit harsh, but it's due to bad anecdotal experience).