McConlogue described his plan on Medium in two parts. In the first post, McConlogue explained that he would offer a choice to the “unjustly homeless” man he passed daily. “Without disrespecting him,” McConlogue would give the man either $100 in cash, or supplies and tutoring so that he might learn how to code for the web.

— Jack Dickey – “The Internet Cannot Save You”

The idea that taking a homeless person and teaching them to code as if that alone will bring them into the echelon of the Middle Class/Creative Class is misguided on so many levels. It’s a textbook example of a technology-focused culture that has its priorities in the wrong place. Not everyone should learn to code, and the world needs more than just programmers. There’s more pressing problems facing the world that a web-based startup, or Internet connectivity simply can not solve, and homelessness is one of them.

The quote at the end of the article should drive the point home, but I don’t think the target audience will get it.