I left out that chunk, but only because I didn't think it changed the nature of what was said. The way I read the sentence it was the act of coding was the humb

I left out that chunk, but only because I didn't think it changed the nature of what was said. The way I read the sentence it was the act of coding was the humble part; the fact that he did it in front of other people implied that he was "a man of the people". (frankly, I don't see how coding in front of people makes a person humble -- I would think it's unrelated. If anything it requires confidence, not humility).