Great questions. For me, high quality code is code that: 1) works (is functional, no bugs) 2) is secure (no security vulnerabilities) 3) is extendable (I can quickly and easily build new features with limited refactors)

I argue the code still matters because of these 3 reasons. If the code doesn't work, your product won't work. If its not secure, there's obvious consequences. If you can't build new features quickly, you will end up wasting money/time.