Anyone can learn to code! Software should be free!
And they wonder why programmers don't get paid... No other profession talks themselves down like us.
However, dragging software into it is a bit misguided. The value a programmer provides is a service (the production of software) not a commodity (the software). The software has almost no monetary value because it can be reproduced at will. Various DRM schemes attempt to make software a commodity but this viewpoint in general holds humanity back.
More to the point, viewing the production of software as a service rather than viewing software as a commodity demonstrates why programmers are the real value. If you view the C-level execs as retailers of a commodity, their business model makes sort of sense. But if you view software engineers as providing a service, it becomes strikingly obvious that the executives are extraneous, unnecessary middlemen attaching themselves parasitically to a service transaction.