If you can catch a programmer before (s)he is completely spoiled, you can usually retrain him/her to write code that is useable and understandable and actually is code that works rather than code to show off how many features of "C" the programmer knows, but once (s)he is thorougly spoiled you do not have a chance. I have raised a few kids with no/little electronic knowledge and they have become quite useful.
The area where duality (HW AND SW) is MANDATORY is in the systems design. To illustrate, once I changed a few things in a design made by separate HW and SW groups, saved $1.87/unit and made it work.
I have, for all practical purposes, reached the point where I will not referee battles over system design between separate HW and SW groups. If the systems design is not originated AND REALIZED by a full knowledge person, I will start from scratch.
One issue coming to the surface as I write this is that too much uC work is done without a proper systems design first. Sometimes we get in the rut of "oh this is simple, let us get going" and end up with having to do something in the software that is not optimum. This can happen both because it is done in hardware and should not have been (I remember an incrementing latch that made life miserable) or because it was not done in hardware and should have been. With todays time to market pressures it is so easy to skip the important steps an dig in.
Oh by the way, of the product mentioned above 500.000 units were produced.

They pay us for it and thus call it work and at times we must accept that, but make sure that you also

Have fun,
Erik