I feel like there's a difference with software though. Maybe not in degree, but in the constant factor.

With e.g. metalworking, you can transfer the knowledge but training takes time. And building a new implementation of that knowledge takes time too.

But in software the knowledge and implementation is transferred effectively instantly. You can nab software off the internet (transfer knowledge) and start running it locally right now (implementation).

Software changes the complexity from O(2^N / T) to O(2^N).