Data science is the practice of producing knowledge rather than building/coding. You can make systems that leverage that knowledge in an automated matter, but when you are deciding what to build, it is not a matter of coding. It is a matter for management. In my experience the sort of arguments a PhD can make fall on deaf ears when management lacks the requisite skills. An organization where the PhD in stats, ML, etc. produces the same outcomes as the code camp hero should look at its management structure before doubting the value of experience at depth.