Yes, poorer people are less likely to have the time and resources needed to learn to code. But compared to practically any other discipline, programming is extremely accessible. It only requires a computer, internet access, and time. 85% of the US population has internet access, and (as Sam Altman later says[1]) libraries are available for the less fortunate. Compare that to biology. Or chemistry. Or mechanical engineering. Or becoming a plumber. If you are poor, all of these are harder to learn than coding.<p>Maurice's story is inspiring, but his bulleted list isn't the only way to become a programmer. Mentors are helpful, but they're certainly not required to learn programming. Ditto for entrepreneurship programs or hacker bootcamps or college education. The only really necessary things are (again) a computer, internet access, and time. Everything else is for widening the funnel. Beneficial? Yes. Worth funding more? Certainly. But not required.<p>Really, I think the post misses Altman's point. If you read the whole discussion stemming from the original tweet, it's pretty clear that he: 1. Is talking about this in the context of increasing immigration. And 2. Is in favor of more aid for domestic coding education.<p>In short: They agree vehemently, but Altman's just being honest about the relative difficulty of learning to code.<p>1. <a href="https://twitter.com/sama/status/549746694900813825" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/sama/status/549746694900813825</a>