The theory is great for, as the talker said, innovative fields...
For a programming business which needs, let's say, a Java programmer, I think it matters more (to the recruiter) that the programmer knows its fu well, than being very interested; basically, the theory doesn't quite apply to existing businesses which use common technology.
But, as a programmer myself, I've only met a handful of other programmers whose knowledge I'd value over their interested-ness. I'll probably never have the opportunity to hire such a person, so when I interview I look for competence and learning potential (curiousity, humility, ...).
Also, I regard programming as a maximally innovative field. There's no reason in principle to do the same thing more than once in programming, and the practical reasons all seem to derive from a combination of mistakes and misfortune.
For a programming business which needs, let's say, a Java programmer, I think it matters more (to the recruiter) that the programmer knows its fu well, than being very interested; basically, the theory doesn't quite apply to existing businesses which use common technology.