I’d disagree — I think most folks are too busy and stressed to learn to code.

Access to quality, free information isn’t enough, sadly. The average person the world over isn’t in a position to make the jump due to economic factors over intellectual limits.

But there are many many people at least in the western world who absolutely would be in a position to make the jump. And yet they choose not to.

I'd argue that having the confidence and ambition to make the jump is also a function of privilege to some degree.

Well, you could argue that having any kind of talent or ability (inherent or or not) is a privilege then.

Completely agree. Most people are just not cut out to be developers. Not in a "you're not smart enough" sense, but in a "your mind does not operate this way" / "you won't enjoy the work" sense.

> There are limitless free resources available on the web such that pretty much anyone who wants to be a software developer, COULD be a software developer.

Mostly correct, with one objection: time is also a necessary resource to become a software developer. Some people who may have the talent do not get the opportunity to learn simply by having to keep a full-time job (or two) since they were 18 (and getting a shitty education before that). Most of us have enough free time to learn things (otherwise we would not have enough time to discuss on HN), but it is not universally true.

That said, although giving everyone a realistic opportunity to become a software developer would be fair to the unlucky individuals, I do not assume that it would change the balance in general.