In the words of the late, great Hal Finney,
"The thing I always love is when there's an intellectual challenge that when you master it gives you practical abilities."
Tangential capabilities from mentally challenging tasks are your personal differentiator - regardless of what tools you use or what you're working on. Running 5 miles puts you way ahead of the person who rode their e-bike for 20. Performing the hard work pays off - not always monetarily, but like exercise, it's uplifting and healthy, and provides long-term advantages.
Corporations need differentiators as well - hopefully they rely on their creative and innovative employees to stand out, regardless of tooling.