Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly told President Donald Trump Monday that he should consider making computer coding classes mandatory for schools.
The business leader made the comments at the first official meeting of the White House’s technology council, which consists of associates of the Trump administration like senior adviser Jared Kushner and the executives of several big tech companies.
Tony Romm of the tech publication Recode, who was one of the few members of the media allowed to attend, reported that Cook also agreed with Trump and fellow participants of the forum that the U.S. tech infrastructure needs to improve. Cook appears to believe that having a knowledgeable and tech-savvy populace, especially among the up-and-coming generations, is vital for fully modernizing the country’s technological capabilities.
Coding, or programming, in the respect Cook meant, is the process of assigning a unique system of numbers, letters, or other figures to act as instructions for a computer program. The practice is what allows people to create apps, websites, and software in general.
If details on Cook’s plans were thoroughly offered or discussed is not known. But another tech firm seems to agree with his intention that the youth could benefit from coding knowledge. Nintendo is reportedly considering introducing coding apps to the Nintendo Switch, a popular gaming console. (RELATED: NSA To Sponsor A Summer Camp For Teen Girls)
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who recently became the second richest person in the world, said it’s critical for the U.S. government to fully utilize the technology available in the private and commercial sphere, according to Recode.
Palantir CEO Alex Karp also somewhat tried to sell the government on the tech community’s services. He reportedly said he met privately with key people before the meeting to explain how the harnessing of big data can help identify and curb fraudulent spending at the federal level.
While 18 prominent executives were scheduled to meet at the White House, Tesla’s Elon Musk and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg skipped the event.
Zuckerberg reportedly couldn’t attend the meeting because of a “scheduling conflict.” Musk vowed to leave President Donald Trump’s business advisory teams after the White House bowed out of the Paris climate agreement.
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