Jan 2, 2019, 12:26 AM ETConference Presentation, Panel, Interview

a16z Podcast | If Coding is the New Literacy, How Can More People Code?

Broad Skill Set: Code literacy extends beyond writing specific languages (e.g., C, Ruby on Rails) to include the ability to manipulate digital environments using tools like HTML, CSS, and scripting libraries.
The "Fourth R": Defined as a fundamental skill alongside reading, writing, and arithmetic, literacy involves understanding the logic and language of coding even if the individual cannot write it fluently.
21st Century Necessity: Programming is characterized as a universal adult skill required to navigate and solve problems in a tech-driven economy.
Economic Equalizer: Access to coding technology is identified as a primary mechanism for lifting low-income families into the middle class and addressing wealth gaps.

Susan Murnett (Hack the Hood): Former Yahoo/Netscape/AOL executive; transitioned to Oakland to address the disconnect between low-income communities and local tech job growth, specifically targeting the pipeline of youth of color.
Laura Weidman Powers (Code 2040): Focuses on economic development and pathways for Black and Latino professionals, leveraging the statistic that average tech salaries exceed the combined median household income of Black and Latino families.
Reshma Saujani (Girls Who Code): Driven by the reversal in female participation in technical fields (falling from majority to less than 20% of technical jobs) and the fear of math/science among women.
Chrissy Brodigan (GitHub/Patchwork): Leads user experience research and organizes "Patchwork" to bridge the gap between open source newcomers and experts.
Non-Engineering Backgrounds: The panel collectively noted a shared absence of formal engineering degrees, attributing their leadership to product vision, advocacy, and the belief that technology is a tool for social and economic change.

Lack of Authentic Mentorship: Susan Murnett highlighted a scarcity of authentic mentors for women and people of color in Silicon Valley, noting her own experience of having to "battle" for authority as a non-engineering executive.
Imposter Syndrome and Failure: Reshma Saujani posits that women are culturally conditioned to avoid risk and failure; she advocates for normalizing failure as a necessary component of learning, drawing parallels to coding where errors are frequent and instructional.
Community Safety Nets: Code 2040 emphasizes building communities of support (sisterhood) to allow students the confidence to take risks, noting that failure feels impossible without a perceived safety net.
Validation of Identity: Hack the Hood works to dismantle internalized racism by demonstrating that web development tools (e.g., Weebly) exist on the same continuum as professional languages, helping students realize they belong in the industry.
Confidence Drivers: Confidence for the organizers is derived from team support, external validation, and the "fear" of letting down a community that has invested heavily in their young programs.

Public Speaking: Girls Who Code prioritizes public presentation skills, having students present technical work to industry leaders (e.g., Sheryl Sandberg) to build confidence before entering traditional CS classrooms.
Agile Methodology: Hack the Hood utilizes Scrum and Agile techniques to teach organic teamwork, allowing students to identify their strengths and transparently request help from peers.
Manager Expectation Training: Code 2040 employs role-playing exercises to teach students how to communicate with managers regarding professional expectations, addressing a gap where students fail due to mismatched perspectives.
Guided Errors: GitHub's Patchwork program intentionally introduces "merge conflicts" (technical errors) to teach students how to resolve conflicts rather than avoiding them, normalizing the error-correction process.
Technical Survey Results: 89% of Girls Who Code participants score in the median range of a college CS101 exam upon completing the program, indicating high technical proficiency paired with high confidence.

HR Deficiency in Startups: Only approximately 6% of Silicon Valley tech startups have an HR function at early stages, placing the burden of cultural inclusivity on individuals rather than the organization.
Referral Homogeneity: Hiring practices rely heavily on social referrals, which are statistically 90%+ white; this limits the pipeline for underrepresented groups who lack access to these networks.
Structural Barriers for Low-Income Candidates: Susan Murnett and Laura Weidman Powers argue that the industry ignores talent in community college populations and working parents due to rigid 9-to-5 internship structures that lack child care support.
Supply-Side Potential: The panel cited the legal and medical professions as proof that female participation can jump from 10% in the 1970s to 45% today, suggesting the current tech gap is a solvable commitment issue rather than an aptitude problem.
Color-Bravery: Advocacy for moving beyond "color-blindness" to "color-bravery," requiring open conversations about race and gender and setting explicit hiring goals.

Child Care and Certificates (Murnett): Wishes to provide child care for young parents and reform community college certificate programs to be more relevant and stackable.
Network Expansion (Powers): Wishes to build structural relationships with HBCUs, state schools, and community colleges to broaden the pipeline of Black and Latino candidates entering the final internship phase.
Hiring Accountability (Saujani): Wishes for companies to stop viewing diversity programs as charity and instead treat them as talent pipelines, committing to hire graduates and redefining "qualification" beyond elite degrees.
Product Impact: Emphasis that women and people of color will drive innovation in critical areas like healthcare (cancer detection) and global social issues (menstrual hygiene), necessitating their inclusion in the tech workforce.