I think it depends on the area and the size of the company. And the decade.
I think it's less common now, but it used to be that people wanted to see a degree before they'd talk to you. Many of the biggest companies still use it as a way to weed out undesirable candidates, even if it costs them some awesome potential candidates.
In the end, I generally don't want to work at companies that do things that way, so I don't find it that big of a deal. But when I got my degree, I thought it was a requirement, which is a lot of what drove me to get it in the first place.
Really? For software dev jobs? I admit that I haven't looked at the market much, but when I look, experience almost always seems to trump education.
My software company, for instance, requires "an undergraduate degree in CS or equivalent experience", leaving open door for people without the degree.