Everyone involved in web startups should learn to write simple code. I’ve argued before that every startup CEO should learn to write code but now I believe everyone in a web startup should learn to write simple code.
When people go to Paris for the first time, what’s the most common thing they do? Download TripLingo? Not quite yet (hopefully soon!). They pick up a little book with common phrases and attempt to learn some simple French. That’s right, they go to a new country and want to understand a tiny bit of the native tongue.
The native tongue for web-based startups is code.
We now require everyone on our services, support, and marketing team to get certified in basic HTML and CSS. The team members aren’t expected to code at all, but we do want them to be able to communicate with more technical people. The native tongue is code.
The solution: head on over to Codecademy and start learning to write simple code now. Don’t do it to become a programmer, but rather because it’ll help you better understand how the web works and be more successful.
What else? Should everyone in a web startup learn to write simple code?
David Cummings on Startups 
Totally agree with this sentiment. I personally don’t work for a startup (rather the opposite, 1400 + employees), but I still feel I need simple coding skills to speak (intelligently) to our customers and internal teams. If I can’t speak the language of my customers and internal dev guys and architects, I am of no value as a salesperson.