In the short term, those who read it based on signaling value (the "pretenders") will be worse programmers than those who read it purely for fun ("the originals").
But in the long term, action matters more than intent. Those who kept "pretending" and kept learning (no matter the reason) will be just as good or better.
I know correlation is not causation but come on... if a set of students follows as CS introductory course and ends up learning some CS during the span of course, it is overreaching to assume the CS course had something to do with it.
If we look st those who took it as a course, we have to consider that they are already taking a CS course, and at MIT, no less.
Once again, correlation? Or causation?