Discovering the right problem to solve is not necessarily coupled to being "hands on" with the "materials you're shaping".
Obviously I am not comparing his final product with my code, I am simply pointing out how this metaphor is flawed. Having "workers" shape the material according to your plans does not reduce your agency.
Not being hands-on, and more important not LISTENING to the hands-on people and learning from them, is a massive issue in my surroundings.
So thinking hard on something is cool. But making it real is a whole different story.
Note: as Steve used to say, "real artists ship".
Because everyone under him knows that a mistake big enough is a quick way to unemployment or legal actions. So the whole team is pretty much aligned. A developer using an LLM may as well try to herd cats.