Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, spoke on the value of coding instruction in schools in an interview with Bright, a Dutch media source, on Friday.
Cook told the news outlet that he believes that everyone should study programming before they graduate from high school and that it ought to be covered in the early grades.
Cook also described coding as "the sole universal language."
He said, "It's the most crucial language you can learn."
"A programming language provides a chance to get into your creativity, but obviously your native tongue is more vital for communicating."
According to CNBC in 2019, Cook has long advocated for including programming in early school curricula, saying that it is a "fundamental ability" much like math and history.
The CEO joined more than 500 corporate executives this summer in urging the US government to include computer science classes to the K–12 curricula in every state.