It's not a universal claim. It's an observation of tendencies. Given the choice between two fresh college graduates where one had been hacking since middle scho

It's not a universal claim. It's an observation of tendencies. Given the choice between two fresh college graduates where one had been hacking since middle school and the other only started in college, who are you likely to choose all else being equal? This isn't rocket science. People who start hacking at a young age and continue very likely have a passion toward the discipline. People who have a passion for programming likely care more about it. People who care more about it are probably better. Does this mean that the guy who didn't start until later can't be better? Not at all.