There's an element of symantic imprecision at play here. Software engineering is not the same thing as programming. Much the same way that furniture making is not identical to woodworking. I know my way around a wood shop well enough but I wouldn't trust myself to make a high quality wooden table or chair, as I lack the necessary expertise.
It takes a great deal of expertise to translate problems, requirements, or "stories" from user space into a design that is not only implementable but represents a good balance of optimizations and tradeoffs. This is a different skill than that needed to create the end product, a running application.
P.S. Consider: the fundamental tools make it easier than ever to be a graphic artist, or a film director. Does the fact that GIMP is free and photoshop is widely available make producing art "easy"? Easier perhaps, but there will never be a replacement for expertise.
It takes a great deal of expertise to translate problems, requirements, or "stories" from user space into a design that is not only implementable but represents a good balance of optimizations and tradeoffs. This is a different skill than that needed to create the end product, a running application.
P.S. Consider: the fundamental tools make it easier than ever to be a graphic artist, or a film director. Does the fact that GIMP is free and photoshop is widely available make producing art "easy"? Easier perhaps, but there will never be a replacement for expertise.