I think you are forgetting that when somebody solves a problem and adds value, it cannot be disassociated from how it got there. That is where mastery of the language/technical details come in. Of course you don't need to know all dark corners but fluency in commonly used idioms/techniques are a must.

PS: David Packard's address to Managers might be relevant here - https://gizmodo.com/the-hp-way-how-bill-hewlett-and-i-built-...