Skip to main content

Zuckerberg, Gates and Will.i.am encourage kids to learn how to code

will i amNon-profit organization code.org has gathered together a parade of big names from the world of tech and entertainment in an effort to persuade young people – or anyone for that matter – to get coding.

Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Jack Dorsey and others from the tech industry appear in code.org’s video alongside the likes of Will.i.am and Miami Heat’s Chris Bosh to talk about their coding experiences and how it can open new doors in a world where “computers are everywhere.”

Recommended Videos

The six-minute production was directed by Lesley Chilcott, known for her work on documentaries such as An Inconvenient Truth and Waiting for Superman.

Little by little

Zuckerberg explains how he learned coding little by little, with the intention of just wanting to make something fun. “I wrote this little program and basically just added a little bit to it, and when I needed to learn something new, I looked it up, either in a book or on the Internet, and then added a little bit to it.”

In an effort to demystify the process of coding, Dropbox’s Drew Houston compares it to playing an instrument or sport. “It starts out being very intimidating, but you kinda get the hang of it over time.”

Girl Develop It’s Vanessa Hurst says you don’t have to be a genius to code, just determined. And that’s the underlying message running through the video – anyone can code if they put their mind to it….plus a segment about how tech companies make their offices “as awesome as possible” to try to get the very best programmers to work for them – cue shots of people skateboarding down corridors, workers playing on drum kits and video games, employees sunning themselves on the top of office buildings and canteens with people enjoying free tasty-looking meals.

Will.i.am, who’s currently learning to code, has the last word: “Great coders are today’s rock stars,” says the musician and entrepreneur (and now coder).

An on-screen message at the end of the video tells us a million of the best jobs in the US go unfilled because only 10 percent of schools teach computer programming.

Brothers Hadi and Ali Partovi, the pair who co-founded code.org, hope their organization will go some way to persuading schools the value of coding lessons, and inspire children to go ahead and give it a try.

Check out the video below.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Amazon’s Kuiper satellite launch called off 30 minutes before liftoff
ULA's Atlas V rocket on the launchpad at Cape Canaveral in Florida.

Amazon is keen to get its second batch of internet satellites into orbit, but it won’t be happening just yet.

The launch of 27 Project Kuiper satellites was set to take place early Monday afternoon ET at Cape Canaveral in Florida, but just 30 minutes from liftoff, rocket operator United Launch Alliance (ULA) said it was standing down for the day “due to an engineering observation of an elevated purge temperature within the booster engine” on its Atlas V vehicle. In simple terms, this means part of the booster became too hot and needs to be investigated.

Read more
Looking for an OLED laptop? Get the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra at $400 off
The screen of the Galaxy Book4 Ultra.

While Samsung Galaxy deals are often linked to smartphones and tablets, you can also score huge discounts on other types of devices. For example, you can currently buy the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra at $400 off from Samsung itself, which brings its price down from $2,400 to $2,000. This premium laptop isn't going to stay on sale for long though, so if you're interested in this bargain, you need to push forward with your purchase as soon as you can to make sure you pocket the savings.

Why you should buy the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra laptop

Read more
This iBuyPower gaming PC with 16GB of RAM is on sale for $830
The iBuyPower Element SE gaming PC on a white background.

For gaming PC deals that will give you excellent value, you should check out iBuyPower offers. Here's one from Best Buy: the iBuyPower Element SE gaming desktop at $100 off, which pulls its price down from $930 to $830. Gamers who are looking for a gaming PC for less than $1,000 won't want to miss this bargain, but you're going to have to hurry if you're interested because there's no assurance that the discount will still be online by tomorrow.

Why you should buy the iBuyPower Element SE gaming PC

Read more