I think I got a more wide interpretation to the GPs comment.

It's certainly true that many people simply don't have the gumption for insert-any-particular-activity-here. For whatever reason. People try all sorts of activities only to realise they'd prefer doing other things.

I'm fascinated by reading HN and the linked articles. I often read things I don't understand, but over time via resources available online, I've managed to maintain an evolving understanding of software development and the requisite technology.

To put all of this knowledge in to the actual practice of writing software, would not only take many many hours > months > years to achieve basic competency, I'm genuinely not interested in doing that as a job, and think if I did force myself to learn programming I'd never make a particularly good one.

Presumably there is room for mediocre developers, there definitely seems to be room for below-average-skilled people in every industry.

I do agree that the last line probably takes it a bit too far. A not insignificant portion of people who could become okay a software development could do with a lot more help than laptop + search engine.

Maybe a great schooling experience, accessible to all ages, to learn software development would go a long way. If it was a required subject at school I suspect there would be some people would do very poorly in that class, even if they had an amazing teacher.