> Obviously, not everyone who writes code needs a development license

That's actually a very likely outcome. The startling statistic is that roughly half of professions require occupational licensing. In some places, you need licensing to become a florist. In several states, being an interior designer or a gas pump attendant requires a permit. Software engineering is an absolute outlier as far as highly-paid jobs go.

I don't think this is right, but that's the world we're living in and we should stop fooling ourselves. There's a lot of SWEs who are talking about wanting some helpful, laser-focused regulation. Well, it's coming wholesale, and a fruit joke website is not going to be exempt.