Future Tense

Chris Bosh, will.i.am Join Campaign To Teach All Kids To Code

Chris Bosh, nerd

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

It’s not surprising that Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates both show up in a new video from Code.org to convince kids to learn how to program. But a couple of the other talking-heads may throw you: Chris Bosh, who studied some programming during his year at Georgia Tech, and will.i.am, who is currently learning to code. The primary message of the PSA: “You don’t have to be a genius to code,” as one participant puts it, and it will help you land a cool job.

“I know it can be intimidating,” says Bosh, who also shares that he was made fun of in high school for being part of a computer group called the “Whiz Kids.” “But what isn’t?” he asks.

According to Code.org, only one in 10 schools teach coding. But maybe that will change: A couple of weeks ago, during a Google+ Hangout, President Obama responded positively to a suggestion that kids should be required to take programming