I don't think he's claiming to be a great coder, but rather a great app designer. And he's right, life experience can come in handy in that area.

i consider myself more right-brain leaning than many in this field, but i still consider this nonsense. wtf does, for example, knocking about on foreign adventures have anything to do with making a great app? ok great, resourcefulness, but show me something relevant if you want $1k an hour

if he has some experience other than coding that makes him so fit, he should mention it, but this is pure bravado, and that doesn't sit well with me