Homeless Coder Still Lives on the Streets 1 Year After Launching His App | Mashable Docs

A year and a half after successfully launching his app, Leo Grand, the "homeless coder," is still living on the streets. Here's his story.
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[@bababoy11]

This is what pisses me off. As you pass by someone who is homeless asking for any help they can get, people yell "GET A JOB!". The people who yell that are the least likely to actually help them get a job. And when these people in poverty try to get a job, they get shot down, because they aren't doing it correctly. This man actually tried, and all he got was grief. The white man that helped him is a very nice man. People claim he probably coded most of the app. And I say "So fucking what?!" These two people worked together to try and bring this man out of poverty, and if you people sitting in your air-conditioned homes, and fucking around with a computer have anything to say about it, I strongly strongly suggest you keep your damn mouth shut.

[@jebronlames618]

+Christopher Brown hell yeah

[@alvinkatojr]

+Christopher Brown Best comment so far!

[@Sickwitit18]

preach

[@Sickwitit18]

This is from a while ago but something similar just happened to me. This dude around 30 was asking cars in the drive thru at mcdonalds if he could give them money to buy him a couple cheeseburgers because he didnt have a car for the drive thru but had the money. The douche bag in the shitty rape van in front of me denied him and as he walked up to my car to ask the van driver started yelling shit at him about getting a job and stop mooching off people. That fuckin douche didn't even comprehend what this guy was asking, he had the money but it was too late to order inside. so i bought his food for him and let him keep the 2 bucks he was going to give me. The thing is, I have a pretty good job, pretty nice car, i was dressed in my work-ish clothes. The guy who told him to get a job was in an old ass rape van probably wearing a wife beater. Its like people who find themselves pretty low on the socioeconomic scale just want to find someone who is lower than them to make themselves feel better about their situation. That guy was a total dick and out of line, this gentleman couldnt have been asking for a simpler favor. I dont understand people sometimes.

[@MalamIbnMalam]

OfficialHoneZtAbe 99% of humans worldwide are extremely evil. There are even some humans that would treat dogs better than homeless human beings. A sign of the end of time. It's extremely disheartening to say the least.

[@cramsa]

He should be building himself up little by little... even a "starter" low level job could helo him... the first goal is to get off the streets.

[@shanedooley5948]

I bet Google or one of them company's would hire this guy. his right up there street can tell his a fun guy an imagine what his imagination is like after all those years been homeless an the people he would have meet with stories from all over the world I hope some company see this an say get that man in hear. 15k is a lot for first app if I make a few hundred I'd be so happy

[@p.ipross5718]

Yes but who would want to hire a homeless person and give them a job they could actually live off? Especially when people with actual degrees and a solid education would be willing to do as a weekend job per say. I'm not hating this dude I just find it unfair

[@williss11]

lol why was he expecting a million dollars

[@Zeegoner]

+Dat Boii When there are more job positions than workers, your argument is invalid "per say."

[@314asaable]

anyone know by which language he made this app ?

[@BinkieMcFartnuggets]

I know a homeless guy that's been working furiously on a public masturbation app. At least I hope there's an app.

[@lushikgirl6238]

+BinkieMcFartnuggets LOL....

[@unabonger777]

Maybe you could help him.

[@whys]

BinkieMcFartnuggets are you alive

[@CycleCruza]

At least he's keeping it real. You can't hate on someone being honest. I wish him the best of luck. At least he has his health, which is the real wealth.

[@Mrburnxminecraft]

amen

[@thejquinn]

If "laziness" is keeping it real?

[@CycleCruza]

Some people are just trying to find their way. I don't blame him for not coding anymore, I hated it too. Hopefully he will find his passion and make a nice living.

[@marcofregoso1195]

Lol that's something my mother would say

[@BUZZK1LL2000]

dafuq are you doing here boi?

[@oystein18]

He should have used the money on getting someplace cheap to live with internet, and just continued coding apps.

[@terrencebeckham367]

He never got a bank account so, the developer had the profits donated.

[@TheBlizzkon]

+Terrence Beckham how can you get money donated if you dont have a bank account?

[@terrencebeckham367]

TheBlizzkon At 2:31 the funds were kept in the mentor's account, and realease of them to the homeless guy was conditional on him getting a bank account.

[@casperes0912]

Let's say it takes him 1 year to code an app (not unreasonable at all). In that time he'll have to pay rent, buy food & pay for his equipment. Then, when he launches the app, he has to hope it'll be successful, cause if not, back on the streets. Making apps isn't like being an employee. It's not secure at all, and 15,000 dollars really isn't that much to go on

[@goodmusic698]

it takes like 10-30mins to open up a bank account tho. I don't understand why he didnt

[@Sasha32659]

This man needs counseling

[@apollo8364]

"Leo plans to live on the streets until he can afford to move to a LUXURY apartment."What the hell, he made $15,000 and still decided to live on the streets? Come on, this is rediculous, he could have gotten a cheap 1 bedroom apartment or shared an apartment, and got his life back together, applying for jobs, and working on more apps. You don't get the American dream all in one go, most of the time you have to work at it for years.

[@SilentMover95]

I learned C++,c#,python on my own. It is not easy if you are not motivated.

[@j__Shaww]

+Michael Ampadu uhh, internet?

[@SilentMover95]

***** KZbin,bro.

[@SilentMover95]

***** I am so glad I didn't invent English grammar. LOL

[@Sulfen]

+Grand Coders I'm fairly sure that he was able to make a time machine.

[@9595itachi]

are you making a living out of that, or casually helping in random projects?

[@NathanKwadade]

with $15,000 he could have gotten an apartment, new clothes and really learned how to code, interview for a position and be making $150,000 at a NY Startup!

[@CycleCruza]

+Nathan Kwadade You have to have more than just motivation for money when it comes to programming.

[@Sickwitit18]

yeah 10-15 grand could easily go into just the equipment for coding and app development

[@T1Oracle]

I'm software engineer now and I never had $10-$15k as a kid. Most software engineers in the US come from india. The only thing you need is a computer and internet access. There is no "equipment." A $250 used laptop at a library using free internet is enough. I used to build web pages and javascript games in Notepad. These days you don't even need Notepad, the Chrome web browser has a built in IDE. There so many free tools, lessons, and tutorials out there these days.

[@TwstedTV]

im still learning, and for me its a bit hard. specially if there are no mentors to teach you when you are stuck, you are on your own if you dont have mentors. some people say its super easy, which makes them ignorant to say that, because not everyone is the same. And its not like im a super old person, ive been around technology since IBM days, and my first programing skills was BASIC. - Basic Access Symbolic Instruction Code. my teacher was teaching in school back in 1975. I grew up in a family which most was in the music industry, so never kept coding but did music most of my life. And now that I am trying to grasp JAVA coding, its really hard for adults to grasp it then young people. as younger people absorb things much faster than adults. That goes pretty much for anything including learning music music theory reading and writing music. etc etc... Right now its really hard for me to grasp Java and I really want to learn it, but also motivation dwindles down to zero so I close the IDE and do something else. Because trying to grasp JAVA by myself gets boring after a while specially when im stuck.

[@msprimavista8330]

May I recommend you a Udemy course called The Complete Java Masterclass by Tim Buchalka? I'm a Java programmer and even with 5 years of experience this course helped me with some things. You can get it for 10 bucks on sales.

[@DrewLakebrink]

I initially felt bad for Leo when I read the video's title, but then he said he wasn't getting to the lab becaause of this and that. If you want to make a get rich quick app like he does, then you have to put in the time. No one should be homeless, but no one gets anywheree without putting in the time and effort to change their situation.

[@DrewLakebrink]

illusion466 Yes that is a possibility. However, if you're truly driven, then you will make it happen. I hope everything works out in the end.

[@thedbq1]

+Drew Lakebrink How old are you, I wonder? No offense okay. But it's not that easy, you know. Humans aren't robots, they get demotivated, we have emotions that affect many things.

[@DrewLakebrink]

Time2Change Age doesn't matter. I'm older than 5 so I have enough life experiences to experience high drive and determination as well as low points where I want to throw in the towel. However, I'm fortunate enough to not be homeless, so I can afford to have those moments. If I were homeless, then you can bet I'd do everything I could to get an app made in hopes of making some money from it. The media buzz from the article alone would've given him a pretty good return. Hopefully Leo's situation improves, but in the end it comes down to that individual's determination and drive to better themselves regardless of how many people are helping them along the way.

[@xylofiso5915]

Maybe if you had the mentality of a five year old, where the world is just sugar cookies and right and wrong, but when it comes down to it, life is much more of a bitch, savage and unforgiving, and once an organization based on extortion has it's grips on you and you are set in your ways, the ease of manipulation is unfathomable, intangible, but yet undeniable to the enlightened. I hope this guy hasn't wronged to many in his life and can at least find shelter and an outlet to put his intelligence into. Yet with the web we are all on today, a programmer is just a drop in the ocean of blood thirsty whales.

[@RealRifts]

He did say life got in the way. So he picks up jobs so he doesn't beg people too much and he can eat and get by. After doing all these odd jobs then he can code. Coding is fucking hard if you haven't got the energy to sit in one place to use brain power for like 6 hours non stop. Guy needs to eat, sleep and stuff alongside earning money for food and warm clothes. No time to code a lot.

[@HeartzHugzKissez]

I think what may have flopped here was Leo's understanding of finances and business. You can't just show someone how to make money, but NOT teach them how to wisely invest the money that they make.

[@stevebez2767]

company was enigma wood hit funny joke act out because semantics predicted vocals wood chop yells of such crazy disterm demands deim en things too be,yer misunderstand pointed out calls merry hell on to?

[@mrcorndog625]

We need more people like him. Eco friendly and never gives up.

[@dissonantprotean5495]

what a weird story. Guy makes 10-15 k but doesn't want to open a bank account, so his mentor blocks him from the money. Now he wants to make another app that's even more profitable, but has stopped programming? Hear him say "i can work at google or spacex" goes to show how out of touch he was. Honestly it seems like this 'tutor' may have been misleading him and giving him false expectations. I mean look I'm all about the notion that many homeless people are smart and could potentially code, but this was a PR stunt from the start.

[@pittsburght3700]

nameless identity maybe he couldnt open a bank account. what kinda fu king condition is that. u think he got a address an id or maybe he n the banks chexs system which would keep him from getting a bank account. y isnt the mentor still working with him. seems like ge stole that brothers idea 4 free and didnt cultivate anything

[@unabonger777]

The guy helping probably knew if he gave him the cash he would get robbed or lose it on the streets. He might have zero life skills. Some people need to be protected from themselves. If he "refused" to get a bank account he would never be able to get paid in the future without someone else to help him.

[@worldgonemad6226]

nameless identity you need an address to open a bank account

[@mxBug]

that kinda gatekeeping is cruel and unhelpful

[@Ghost572]

Then why didn't the guy get an address, the fucking mentor could of given him one temporary.

[@osmantoplica8912]

I can see why he is homeless. So many signs all over the place. He has the skills, but lacks a sense of reality, plus he sounded greedy. You are homeless, get 15,000$ and refuse to move into an apartment because you cannot afford a luxery one? Come on. 15,000$ is enough to live of for a whole year. He could have opened that fucking bank account, rented an apartment, made some freelance work online until he got himself a job (2-3 months tops). Then he would have a steady income aswell as over half the money he made with his app. Afterwards he could slowly work on another app when he is not working. "I haven't programmed that much recently, because life you know. Things happen, gotta do this and that". Come on. How busy can a homeless man be? STOP excusing yourself, START doing!

[@jswats92]

Osman Toplica u need 2 proofs of address and id to open an account. homeless peeps ain't got that hence they are homeless. if the mentor was such a good guy he would opened one for the guy under the homeless guys that is.

[@jswats92]

Osman Toplica he was probably joking about the luxury apt

[@Anthonyn1222]

Wow 3edgy5me

[@DasBeatz]

he could have used the mentor's address or a family member's.

[@UniverseGOD2525]

you're right. He fucked up because of greed.

[@poopipeboy3033]

I'm an engineer (and programmer) who volunteers to help people on the streets. Here's the thing: People are homeless for good reason, sometimes because of mental disabilities, but _usually_ because they just don't have the drive to create or manage success. If I were put in this guy's shoes, I would start coding like a madman, but compare that to this guy saying "I plan on doing it....eventually". Yes he's a nice guy, I'm convinced, but the brutally-honest truth is that a half-hearted approach will never work in this economy.

[@mr.giraffe7076]

I agree. I think you have to be like a field medic. Start with the ones who have easily treatable problems. A homeless guy who doesn't even use a box or pallets for shelter, no big back pack, no car. That's like trying to help a d day soldier that has his bowels all over the beach and he's screaming for mama. He probably will never be saved.

[@kandysman86]

@@mr.giraffe7076 thats a good point. If a sleeping bag isnt part of a long term outside living plan, you are probably hopless.

[@bass13ist]

This guy is awesome! keep doing what you love man.

[@eldaftbro]

Life's hard indeed wish you the best man!

[@Catcrountryball]

there should be more people like his mentor, he is a great example for everyone!

[@unclemuir]

He may be homeless, yet he seems happier than some wealthy folks that I know.

[@gatorskin472]

Uncle Muir being wealthy will make you happy if you know what to do with it

[@guillermocalvillo3102]

Shit i beleive he likes being homeless

[@smartwater598]

Uncle Muir you're being fooled by those rich folks

[@2timestwisted590]

I hate it when people say bum I was homeless living in my car when I was 19 young age but tbh I wouldn't take it back for anything I met some nice people and I found myself and what I thrive for every lesson is blessing be humble

[@nevad34]

This was the first uber

[@nouns7504]

I hope the best of luck for leo and hope he gets what he needs

[@chrisizme2]

I wish this guy the best but I am not surprise that things turned out this way. I too think that the white guy coded most of the app for him. The white guy had good intentions but you can't pull anyone off the street and teach him/her how to code and get a job. You need school, motivation, hard work, experience, certifications, and novel ideas. If it's that easy than everyone would be doing it. This is reality, not a fantasy in a Disney movie ending. Best wishes to him and to all his future endeavors.

[@gene11eleven]

chrisizme2 I am sure the other guy helped teach him. Everyone needs help either through others or books... Not to believe he did it or calling the other guy the "white guy" is sad. Why even go there?

[@fabriziobertoglio7288]

+chrisizme2

[@fabriziobertoglio7288]

I can understand that he gave up, coding is hard and maybe it is not your prerogative if you live on the street, i think there are a tons of jobs that do not require education/training and can start tomorrow without training.

[@MalamIbnMalam]

+Fabrizio Bertoglio if you are living on the streets, coding is 100 times harder. Especially in an environment like that. While most of us can code from the comfort of our own homes, he has snow falling on him, etc. etc.

[@MalamIbnMalam]

+chrisizme2 You don't know if the guy who taught him wrote most of it for him. That's just an assumption. The guy looks pretty smart himself. Everyone has a starting point. We go to school in order to learn computer science. It's not something embedded within us at birth. It requires a lot of hard work.

[@MA-th4ts]

First time hearing about this. I wish I would of bought the app now. Hope for the best Leo.

[@darkknight17]

As someone who struggled really hard trying to learn Java during my Computer Science Degree and as a compassionate human being, this video and the whole story really broke my heart. :'(

[@historicalfolklore]

Never ever stop,no matter what.Dream only works when u continue trying to make it reality

[@_KeneYah]

classic example of how you can literally live the American dream even if your homeless, GOD I love America!

[@yehoshuadeitel3440]

The guy who helped him out had the best of intentions but really didn't see it through. I'm sure he's doing quite well. A successful future for the "homeless coder" would be making apps himself it would be working as a developer somewhere. He started him off, he built one app, great, now let's finish it off with the rest of the "training" he would need to get himself a decent job instead of making apps that maybe a few 1000 people will download -- maybe.

[@ProSimples]

What I see that is more generous is the tutor still there even after the guy still homeless.

[@Tostas89]

I don't know about NYC, but here in Portugal 100$ to 300$ per month get you a decent to good room or even apartment anywhere in the country including Lisbon. What's up with him wanting a "luxury" house? And a homeless guy walking around with those nice headphones? Not getting mugged?... so many levels of crazy and wrong assumptions about "coders"

[@xanderellem3646]

Shiit dude in australia a room in share acom can be 100-300 a week

[@GS-md3hr]

I grew up in LA and for $300 a month you will be lucky just to sleep on someones couch. For $1k monthly you would be lucky to get a small apartment. To move in you would need a month of rent plus security deposit, money for electricity, food, internet, etc. You would need about $2-3K in cash to move in, which is probably a fortune for a homeless person. Especially when they would rather live on the streets and use that money for drugs.

[@KarynHill]

In NYC, $300 a month is almost enough to get a parking space. Almost. He could probably share a small studio apartment with someone for $800-$1000 as his share, but a studio apartment is one room, period. Not easy to share except with a lover. Even then it's too small for two.

[@gene11eleven]

Filipe Torrado You won't find anything in the ballpark for that in NYC. Not too many other places for that matter.

[@teicizjohnson477]

ffs, I live in Portugal and never saw such a cheap place. from what me and my dad found, minimum for a good, but cheap a house is around 600 euros

[@ominous450]

$15000 is not a lot of money in NYC. That’s barely enough for a year of rent

[@shreyasvan]

i sincerely hope that leo isnt homeless anymore . he is a true inspiration for all people in the world . i dont care if people say he didnt code it himself , he is a fucking legend

[@FreyaEinde]

My gosh, its almost like poverty and homelessness is more complicated than simply getting a job.

[@mizchief7305]

Rest in peace bro...you deserve more but i hope up there you could find happiness....

[@eleonoreo.4269]

Did he die? I can't find any information

[@CloroxBleachChannel]

its obvious the white dude coded the app, said the homeless black guy did and got it out that way. shortly after he had the cash to move to SF and the homeless guy is still homeless. he was a hamster in an experiment and people fell for it and everyone got duped

[@yahnbenyasharal6295]

Reminds me of the Empire movie with John Leguizamo

[@ballardkid1]

To those of y'all wondering why he's still homeless, you should read the last 15 seconds of this video.

[@tyru2]

I cried.

[@eduardstefanescu5674]

Congrats for his ambition!

[@brocksprogramming]

There are tons of people out there that didn't follow their dreams and they regret it. Don't listen to their negativity.

[@JayFiCPA]

to the homeless coder if he's watching this I believe in you man make the next app it could be the next big hit

[@LaZyJeff]

Now I want to go get his app to help him out!

[@conservativedeveloper7289]

I first start coding at around age 12 and I can say that coding is one of those things that is very hard for those who are not genuinely interested in it. I'd say it's best for the guy to find a low skilled job and at least get a shitty house so he doesn't have to live on the streets and then work his way up.

[@thomasfolbrecht4067]

This is the story Mashables would have loved to have written, good luck Leo Grand.

[@lucasbadmon7081]

He realized that being successful is super hard

[@boimesa8190]

how is he doing now and WHY isn't this channel suppprting him by letting viewers help out?!?!

[@rocket141]

Coding isn't for everybody you have to love it in order to prosper in this field.

[@jlav2170]

stfu

[@DaLastMonster]

Who am I 😂

[@BRBallin1]

Highly doubt he coded the app. I feel like the dude who's helping him out was doing most of the work based on the homeless dude's suggestions.

[@synthetic_m1zt676]

BRBallin1 only 13 and I can code pretty fluently.

[@BRBallin1]

TH3 VYR155 I went on the basis of his situation not race. Coding is not for simple minded people and it requires a lot of patience and focus to write and debug code. If he still lives on the streets then he must've not been interested to code in the first place.

[@PlatypusIRE]

TH3 VYR155 You are such an idiot , There are plenty of Black Coders out there and his comment made no reference to race , Keep your crying until someone actually is racist

[@synthetic_m1zt676]

Andrew Owens There are not plenty of black coders out there...idiot

[@PlatypusIRE]

TH3 VYR155 Where in the Original Comment did you see anything Remotely about the race of this homeless man ? This man is Homeless , and is still homeless after he "learned to code" so the assumption that he did not infact completely write the code for this app is a valid assumption and to assume that he was saying that he couldn't code because of his skin colour is a retarded assumption.

[@gene11eleven]

Great story, although it is sad that it is so hard to get off the streets in this country. Only people who have dealt with the ice cold system know how bad it is.

[@shanedooley5948]

this guy is awesome simple as that. the tv presenter though shouldn't say it's hard its very hard when it's not that hard ya it may take six months to get good but it's not impossible

[@newtube2601]

After watching the video I can see why he is still homeless. His mentor should have told him to forget making money off of the app and to go get a job working as a programmer. Most apps that hit the app store fail to ever get traction, or become profitable. That's why they are usually developed by people who are still students, or are already working full time jobs. I see very little ambition to use his skills as a coder to get off of the streets. It sounds to me like he is just waiting for a big break as an independent app developer, which will never come if he is too busy to code.

[@timc7035]

The problem is he's been out of the system for so long and has giant work gaps that recruiters absolutely hate. Freelance is a decent way to make money without caring about work gaps. What he needs to do is work a part-time job and get a degree or bootcamp then he can reboot his life a bit.

[@milesedgeworth132]

Just imagining being homeless is scary. But for some reason, when I imagine being homeless for a year and taking that 15k and renting a place. Just showering in the morning, working on coding, eating lunch, watch a few videos, go back to coding, etc. A steady income and a line of work that brings me somewhere. Then after a few years you upgrade and rent a better house in a better neighbourhood. Maybe you fall in love. Have a family. Maybe you get a promotion. Etc. Gives me chills and inspiration.

[@KYNQxEdz]

the app is still available on Google Play store..how is it isn't..check again

[@29dj17]

This man is a smart man living in America, I don't understand why he's still homeless

[@subby7507]

The programming world is still growing at a fast rate, company's are in need of programmers because there are frameworks coming out every half a year(not a actual fact but a nice representation lawl) and the company's want to always have their hands in whats new, the thing about the field is, weather one has a degree or not, its about if you can learn and learn well on your own without supervision (outside of school too, for all of you college students reading), its about what you can bring to the table and what you worked on. I'm a self taught full-stack web developer here in Toronto and I've learned all of this through experiencing the tech scene here in my city(results my vary). Whichever way you go weather its school or self-taught, you will get to where you want to be with enough drive, you have to have a hunger to rise and everyday motivate yourself. Please lay to rest the "unfair" view on the field, its about skill and self development(no pun intended #webdev #fullstack #nodejsgang #bootstrap )

[@johnbogacz3797]

could not get one video to play today.

[@lusifer2024]

The app is still on google play... pls check well the sources Marshable.

[@an.drew_]

"Leo refused to open an account" @ 2:38 Why doesn't Leo just open an account so Patrick can give him the money? What am I missing here? Also why is he so well kept for being homeless? Surely if he was actually homeless he would look like shit. I don't understand this video. Someone that cares enough to research this please explain

[@mikejones-vd3fg]

Red Tape basically. To open an account you need an ID, actually 2 pieces, to get ID you need a birth certificate. All these things are eventually lost stolen if you're homeless so getting it all back is a complicated process that involved lots of red tape and time. This isn't easy as it looks when youre on the street. Getting stuff like this taken care of is a challenge for homeless people because not taking care of things in the first place is why they're homeless. You'd think $15k waiting for you would be a motivation to do that though, so I'm kind of skeptical about what this video claims he "refused" when we didn't actually hear anything from him about the story. Ive been homeless, met homeless people and it seems to be a common thing to have some "trustee" or whatever (usually a shelter) that take control of your money and doles it out which I always thought was scammy, because they collect interest on it. By the sounds of it the shelter took control of this money in the same sort of way and they're charging him a rental locker to use it... That's really suspect. Homeless people with money are targets for this kind of thing so I'm not surprised once he got some they found a way to take some from him, and unfortunately its sometimes those claiming to help. There was a program here for people living in shelters that gave them jobs, but they kept all the money and would pay them after they completed the program, it just seemed like a bad deal, like if they got a job at mcdonalds he'd be better off. This gave me a reality check on those you say they want to help you. In the end you need to help yourself. And on the well kept business, of course homeless people are well kept, theres enough services to keep clean, free clothes, its only a tiney minority of homeless people who look like trash and that's more to do with mental illness. The majority of homeless people don't even look homeless and keep themselves kept because really that's all they got.

[@HeartzHugzKissez]

That's a stereotype. Homeless people come in all varieties.

[@knuckledragger1404]

Andrew Martel i live with my parents so ill never be homeless and ill make a game

[@elliottm1236]

They need to have a gofundme or something for him

[@serviom.4496]

So even after all the media coverage he got, he couldn't even land an entry level position? Thats crazy.

[@kyleaditya]

“but the app didn’t make millions, like what’s app... *looks down*” why do I feel so bad

[@golbert1993]

Some ppl say he still lives on the streets till this day

[@jackmiddleton2080]

There is probably more to the story than we know. He was probably helped extensively. Maybe he didn't even make the app and he was just used as a marketing ploy.

[@TONAH]

4:42 I also plan move out of my apartment and into the streets until I can move into a luxury apartment. That message was a bit ironic lol

[@ReubenAStern]

He's done well. Had he been fortunate enough, to have a job, that can keep him in a cheap flat, that would have been a huge milestone for him. But he's on the streets, probably with mad drama all the time. It would be hard to concentrate. As someone who likes to have the odd project, life does get in the way, and force you to stop. Examples include having to eat and sleep, having to help your friends and family, legal obligations.... So now he's saying he wont get off the streets, until he can afford a luxury apartment. That to me, says he's gotten used to being homeless, and subconsciously want's to stay on the streets. To me, this is a reminder, of how hard life is.

[@FlyingBirdHawk]

I'm so glad they made this because this is telling all those early teenagers that think "I'll get a degree in CS and make an app and be a billionaire!!" That it isn't that easy and even if you have a million dollar idea, it isn't enough

[@flyinJJ]

think people missed the point he's trying to make. He's an idealist, he doesn't need the money at all. He needs inspiration to make something great and he's willing to give up everything to do something inspirational. He's uninspired with all the coding people do out there for the wrong reasons. People get defensive when a homeless man is capable of learning to code, it really shows how insecure people are because it wasn't easy for them to learn it and money paid to learn it, so they attack him because they are thinking why should this be easy for a homeless man? The real question is, why learning a useful skill like coding shouldn't be free for all? I think he just wanted to make the world a better place, improve something, even if it's small and tiny like driving less to improve air quality. He has altruistic intention worthy of praising in a money driven world.

[@rj06y0rk20]

I've got an Android app on the Google play store called Wise Commute. It's just for train commuters in Portland, Oregon, but it's cool having something you can point to and be like there's something I made that people use.

[@MyWeedgrower]

you can't just sit back waiting for a handout again

[@GezusSpeaks]

what the hell was the point of this

[@goodnightnathan]

What Mashable could've done was set up a fund raiser for him and put the link in the video/description.

[@MrAlipatik]

being homeless is his passion

[@FOOTLONGLEGTHICK]

Weird, I know this guy. He pretty much lived at the starbucks I used to work at.

[@joshdavis2064]

It's still on the play store

[@oldnntheway8430]

"Haven't been able to get over there as of yet" a quote from Jim Rohm If you really want something you'll find a way. If you don't you'll find excuses.

[@stevebez2767]

done this several times,like now too!Has anyone any idea how get java jvm on surface.arm,theres linux.arm,raspi,like,yunno?

[@rockypoudel2360]

In life we never know whats gonna happen next:(

[@shatley123]

10-15k is definitely not bad for a first app. Most people's first apps don't make any money, imagine what this guy could do in the future.

[@UniverseGOD2525]

DUDE. 15k$ is a fucking dream of any first time developer. He got way more money than he deserved. This homeless guy was a moron to not get an apartment. He says he'll only buy a luxury apartment at once. Greed fucks up everyone's life.

[@lagerea]

My guess would be that he did not simply refuse to open a bank account but could not due to unresolved reports to the chex system.

[@JulianSloman]

App does still exist! play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.treesforcars.treesforcars&hl=en

[@nitreall]

creepy music

[@ericsanchez2268]

I have lots of apologies to all that I commented powerful words and I'm sorry to all the ones I did that too

[@jai2144]

i m waiting this type .... techno.... awesome job ...

[@RabeeQiblawi]

I am software engineer ..and I think people should know that programming is like a tool kit ...its a bunch of screws and drivers ... every one could learn how to code ...but to do real working stuf ...you need to understand the inviroment you are working in ...thats the hard part not the programing it self ...

[@m4_amg530]

I tried to do coding but it didn't work so I ended up dropping the course thanks a lot education high school courses there a mandatory it take to bad I'm not smart enough so this course is holding me back for couple years now can't graduate because I can't pass it

[@ZamatoElite]

He makes one [shitty] app, and then stops coding because reasons. It's really hard to feel bad for him.

[@FOXMAN09]

It looks like the most important lesson wasn't taught here. Your first project is not going to make you a millionaire and the whole point of building the app wasn't the app itself. It was the ability to build the app to give you a skill of building which can then make you money. Although I don't know how far someone can really get if they simply refuse to open a bank account.

[@R.O.T.C._SEEM]

if i saw this man i would tell him to get in the car we going home it's a shame this guy is a willing to work guy he just need a better place to work

[@HALOHOLES]

Can someone help me i have an app idea and i want to make it a reality can someone tell me what book or how to start it

[@djkramnik1]

At 0:26 if you look at the top of the app there is an undefined value

[@micjakes1]

Updates on this man?

[@syfa2846]

I thought I was lazy, and then I saw a homeless guy that doesn't have time to go and work

[@globoxmusic]

Poor Leo, best wishes to him

[@HE360]

This is very very possible. This is an example of how coding doesn't always make a person money.

[@nateking2024]

Why do people dislike this like tf is up with you

[@BenRangel]

Everyone will say your app is great, but they will not use it. It's like whenever you hear someone come up with an idea that "would be the best app ever" and you tell them it already exists - they just go "Oh..." and don't even bother downloading that app.

[@nlakin6762]

Well done.. people trying to help people!! Sadly also FD up by greedy ppl.

[@Leopold37]

this makes me sadder being my name is Leo

[@sameeresmail6636]

I don't think he's really a programmer. The way he's talking screams he doesn't even understand the fundamentals of OOP...

[@christoferserrano3800]

He clearly made his choice to be homeless. and that is OK if it is his desire. Its like forcing your son to go to law school when he wants to be a singer. God gave everyone of us freedom of choice.

[@brianferrick1447]

Not very clear. Why doesn't he get to keep the 15000 dollars? Because he doesn't want a bank account? Just doesn't make much sense. Give him a debit card with 2k a month, then he could still educate himself....