Absence of proof is not proof of absence. What has changed in the last 20 years is Internet. My son surprize me with the thing he learned from the internet.

Though it is also true that the things he learned are limited to what catched his curiosity. With classical education you get a more wider and uniform education, but also more shallow than if you dig the knowledge by yourself.

Note also that education plays only a significant role in hiring the next few years after it. After that it's what you have achieved and your expertize domain that become the most relevant.