[adrianhoward]

I presume the OP wouldn't ever say "you're replaceable" to someone who actually has (and demonstrates) a network of any sort

I think that the problem is the idea that "a network" is the only value that a business guy provides to a company...

[mgkimsal]

True, if that's the only value someone presumes the other party is bringing, that's a problem. OTOH, I think people undervalue the value of a tech/dev's network - including developers themselves.