A lot of the software that built this modern world was created by people who would be disgusted by this credentialist crap.
Would you get surgery from someone in a back alley? Is that credentialist crap?
This industry is still within memory of the first digital computers. Now we have lots of rote work, some interesting and novel areas, and a small sliver of wacky innovation. But I think many here cherish that self-image of the self-taught inventor… this is “hacker” news after all. I for one am not ready to give someone undue credibility because of a title or piece of paper.
Why do you need credentials to differentiate these two?
Software has built a lot of modern toys but it still plays a relatively limited role in the world of atoms rather than bits, but I suspect the value of credentials is going to appreciate as that changes over the next few decades.