"Mom Picks Me Up for Commute" 14-Year-Old Prodigy Joins SpaceX

Kairan Quazi Joins Aerospace Company
"Hope Age-Based Value Judgments Disappear"

Kairan Quazi, a 14-year-old genius boy who joined SpaceX, the space company led by Elon Musk, as an engineer, expressed his excitement about the work. Quazi is scheduled to start working as a software engineer in SpaceX's Starlink division next month.

Kairan Quazi. [Image source=Yonhap News·Kairan Quazi LinkedIn]

According to the US economic media Insider and others on the 18th (local time), Quazi plans to move from Pleasanton, California, where he currently lives, to Redmond, Washington, to start his job. He said, "I am really excited," and added, "Until I can start driving, my mom will have to drop me off at the company."

Quazi said he does not feel pressured about performance. He said, "Because my family did not care about grades, I did not feel the pressure to get good grades," and "I have been learning at my own pace." He continued, "I really enjoy the things I do," and said, "I am very passionate about what I do and have never felt forced."

Kai and Quazi (third from the left). [Image source=Yonhap News·Quazi Instagram]

Quazi hopes that his employment will lead to changes in corporate hiring culture. He said, "By sharing my story, I hope companies will at least reevaluate their biases in the hiring process and open doors to those with different abilities." He also added, "Many tech companies state their values on their websites, but that does not always translate into policy."

Through LinkedIn, Quazi also said, "I am very happy to start this journey as a software engineer with the respected Starlink engineering team at one of the coolest companies in the world," and "Unlike many other companies, it is truly amazing that SpaceX does not evaluate my worth based on my age."

Meanwhile, Quazi was reportedly able to speak perfect sentences at the age of two and shared news he heard on the radio with friends and teachers during kindergarten.

He also enrolled at Las Positas Community College in California, where he lives, when he was in the third grade of elementary school. Community colleges in the US offer 2- to 3-year higher education programs, and graduates can either enter the workforce or transfer to comprehensive universities.

Quazi later gained internship experience as an AI research collaborator at Intel Labs and transferred to Santa Clara University in Silicon Valley at the age of 11, majoring in computer science and engineering. This made him the youngest graduate in the 172-year history of Santa Clara University.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.