Honestly, what would really reduce stress is being told "a state school is fine too". Encouraging kids to grow up early and jump right into careers and leadership positions just sounds like a recipe for burnout. Some people can thrive in that kind of lifestyle, but others will just crack after a few years.

I wonder how many of them will still be working in tech at 35.

(My uncle was kinda like that... got into the industry at an early age, was a big name on the Internet in the early 90s -- he was even listed in some of those old "Internet directories" and owned [our last name].com for the rest of his life -- and then he burned out, quit the tech industry, and became a cab driver... he ultimately became an alcoholic and died in his fifties)

While many teenagers feel stress to get into the right college, these teenagers will probably be under tremendous pressure to develop a successful app. If the tech economy contracts or Silicon Valley's fetishization of youth subsides, being an unknown programmer without a degree might not be the best position.