What are Naval Ravikant's views on the importance of learning to code?

Okay, friend, let's talk about how Naval Ravikant, the renowned figure in Silicon Valley, views the idea of "learning to code."

He's definitely not one of those "everyone must be a programmer" evangelists. His perspective is broader and more relevant to ordinary life. In his view, learning programming isn't just a job skill anymore; it's more like a fundamental "superpower" that enables you to thrive in modern society.

Put simply, his core ideas can be broken down into these levels:

## 1. Programming is This Era's Strongest "Leverage"

Imagine you're an ancient craftsman. It takes you a day to make one chair. To make a hundred chairs, it would take you a hundred days. That's working without leverage – your input and output are 1:1.

Now, imagine you're a modern craftsman who knows how to code. You spend a week writing a program that automatically designs and orders chairs. After that, whenever someone needs a chair, your program handles everything. You can "click a button" to produce a hundred, a thousand, or even a million chairs, without spending much more of your time.

This is the kind of Leverage Naval talks about.

Code and media (like writing articles, making videos) are the new leverage of our age. They can work "endlessly" for you, and the cost of replicating them is nearly zero.

A software program you write can be sold to one person or a million people, yet your development costs remain largely the same. This was unimaginable in the past. So, learning to code means gaining the ability to create this kind of "leverage," massively amplifying your personal value.

## 2. It's the New "Literacy"

Hundreds of years ago, most people were illiterate. Only a few could read and write. Those who were literate could understand laws, record history, and convey complex ideas – they held the power and voice of that era.

Naval believes that in today's world built on computers and the internet, programming is the new "literacy."

People who don't understand code: Are like the illiterate. You can only use the apps, websites, and services developed by others. You are a consumer, passively accepting the rules of this digital world.
People who understand code: You can at least "read" how this world operates. You understand apps consist of code, how data flows, and how algorithms recommend content. You can even "write" – create a small tool, a website, or an app to solve your own problems. You transform from a pure consumer into a creator.

He has a vivid analogy: In the future, it will either be you directing the computer, or the computer directing you. Learning to code is learning the language to command computers.

## 3. It Teaches You a Top-Tier "Way of Thinking"

This is perhaps the most useful point for ordinary people, even if you never become a programmer professionally.

The process of learning to program trains you in a very rigorous and efficient mindset:

Decomposition: Faced with a complex problem, programmers instinctively break it down into smaller, solvable modules. This way of thinking is incredibly useful for tackling any difficult problem, whether in life or work.
Logic and Systems Thinking: In the world of code, cause and effect are very clear. One mistake can crash the whole program. This forces you to think systematically and logically, considering all possibilities.
Debugging Ability: What happens when the program fails? You have to act like a detective, step by step, tracing the issue to its root cause and fixing it. This mentality of facing failure, calmly analyzing, and solving problems is a top-tier life skill.

Therefore, even if you never create groundbreaking software, the "engineer-like thinking" cultivated through programming will make you understand things more clearly and execute better in any field than others.

## 4. The Focus is on "Understanding," Not Necessarily "Mastery"

Naval isn't saying every single one of us must become a professional software engineer earning tens of thousands per month.

His point is that you should learn it until you understand how it works. Just like you don't need to be a mathematician, but you need to know basic arithmetic so you can manage your finances on a daily basis and avoid being tricked.

Learning basic programming enables better communication and collaboration with programmers.
It allows you to judge whether a technical concept is credible or just hype.
It helps you spot opportunities to use technology to solve small problems around you.

To Summarize

In Naval's view, learning to code isn't about getting a job; it's about acquiring freedom.

It's the freedom to create and experiment with minimal cost; the freedom to profoundly understand the information age we live in; and the freedom to take control of your destiny, amplify your influence, and avoid being left behind by the times.

So, don't see learning to code as an insurmountable mountain. See it as a foundational skill—much like learning a language or learning to drive—that opens the door to a whole new world. This is the essence of Naval Ravikant's perspective on the importance of "learning to code."