Is a computer science degree worth the paper it's printed on?

You dont need a degree if you have a portfolio of awesome software you authored to back you up. Programming is an art that requires talent. You cant guarantee that every person who graduates with a degree in CS has the ability to solve and innovate at the pace of the competition.

There is a high demand for talent in Silicon Valley and any company who will not hire programmers without a degree is probably skipping by alot of talented people who could give that company the competitive edge over the competition.