First off, the title is horribly clickbaity. Second, we've been getting a lot of links on HN lately where someone blurts out some thoughts on a complex subject

First off, the title is horribly clickbaity. Second, we've been getting a lot of links on HN lately where someone blurts out some thoughts on a complex subject and is done in less than a page, with no depth at all. I really don't care for them. They may be short, but the insight density is far lower than that of a real article, so they end up being a worse way to spend my time. Third, I disagree that programming literacy needs to be taught to everyone. The OP does not bother to provide any specific reason, but let's consider two. One reason may be for the sake of future employment opportunities. The argument is ridiculous on the face of it, but it's one you see politicians make. It should be obvious that we are not going to need everyone to be a professional programmer. It should also be obvious that the trend is of programming skills becoming _less_ necessary for jobs involving computers, and not more. This trend has been largely driven by UI improvements in the past, but AI is poised to give it a second boost. Another reason could be for the sake of developing a more rational mindset, or some other skills or attitudes that are beneficial for citizens in general. This is an argument I would take more seriously, but I still have to counter that there are more urgently and universally needed things. Basic numeracy is the obvious one, and in particular statistics. Logic is another. Programming may be a way to exercise these skills, but it is not necessarily the best way to acquire them. I would argue that people find success in programming because of their existing knack for logical reasoning, rather than gaining it because they decided to go into programming. And if you've ever tried to interview professional programmers for a job, you'd know how many of them can make a living in this field without having developed the problem solving skills you'd like to see. In fact, focusing on programming per se as a skill to acquire may well (read: would definitely, in the American school system) lead to reducing focus on the basic reasoning skills that are more universally useful, in favor of learning how to cobble an app or a website together. Finally, it is very dubious that the population at large would be able to learn how to program at a reasonable level. You may say that people used to say the same about literacy, which is now universal; but if you look at it more carefully, you'll notice that a non-negligible amount of people never reaches the level of reading and writing skills you would expect from an adult, and even more people see those skills decay once they leave school.