This isn't a zero-sum game. More programmers equals more software projects in existence, better support for existing projects, more co-founders to choose from for your new startup, and an acceleration of human progress.

It's Stanford! Like medical school, once you're in, _nobody_ fails.

If you need tutoring, money or a sympathetic shoulder, there's plenty available.

Oh, people do fail. They just withdraw, keep attending the course, and retake it for a grade the quarter after. As long as they get the subject eventually, it's all that matters, right?