YMMV but I think its going to always be important to acquire almost all the knowledge necessary to go to the metal, then allow the tactical to bits to atrophy over time. What remains is all the bones of the first principles understanding - and that will serve you well indefinitely.

An analog for you: I started in software pre-cloud, with a primary focus on web technologies, but at various times learned c/c++/asm/compilers/operating systems/algorithms. I audited many classes, but one instructive one was a course called nand2tetris (going from nand gates to hardware simulated CPU to peripherals to operating system to programming languages and compilers to application layer). Understanding the global through lines in computer science give you immense power.

Does my work as a CTO mean I use this information all the time? Absolutely not. Did I benefit from figuring out how computers work generally throughout literally my entire career? Absolutely yes.

I am actually relatively AI-pilled compared to the average Hacker News reader, but I am against outsourcing fundamental understanding to AI in all forms. Does that mean I write code by hand often anymore? Very infrequently.