Mark Zuckerberg’s record
Whenever there is talk of young billionaires around the world, the name that comes to most people’s mind is that of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who created history by becoming a billionaire at the age of just 23. But now, two young Indian Americans have broken Mark Zuckerberg’s record and set a new precedent. At just 22, Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha have achieved this feat and become the world’s youngest self-made billionaires. Through his startup “Mercor”, he has achieved such heights which till now were only the share of big entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerberg in Silicon Valley.
Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha, both of Indian descent, have become the world’s youngest self-made billionaires, along with their high school friend Brendan Foody. He surpassed Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Meta (Facebook). Zuckerberg reached this position at the age of 23.
Who are Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha
Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha are both American citizens of Indian origin. Adarsh’s family is from the Indian state of Karnataka, while Surya Midha’s family immigrated to the United States from Delhi. Both were raised in the San Jose and Mountain View areas of California, where their friendship began. Both attended the same school, Bellarmine College Preparatory, where they not only achieved academic excellence but also shaped their thoughts and dreams.
Adarsh further started studying computer science at Harvard University, but after leaving college, he focused his entire attention on his startup. Surya Midha obtained a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Studies from Georgetown University and then entered the world of entrepreneurship. Both young people had a vision for a career that was different from traditional ones from the start – they wanted to do something that could change the world through technology.
This is how the story of Mercor began
Mercor was founded in 2023 when Adarsh, Surya, and their third partner, Brendan Foody, came together to create a platform that would connect talented programmers, developers, and tech experts from around the world with US companies. The initial idea was to provide opportunities for remote talent globally. However, the company later pivoted and entered the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and began working on a “human-in-the-loop” model.
Under this model, Mercor provides services to companies that use human experts to train AI models. This is a rapidly emerging field. This innovation, which leverages human understanding and decision-making to make AI more accurate and intelligent, has earned Mercor a significant following in Silicon Valley.
This is how the company became worth billions of dollars
Mercor has attracted the attention of several investors by the end of 2024. The company recently secured $350 million in funding, bringing its valuation to nearly $10 billion. Following this funding round, the company’s three founders became billionaires. Each holds approximately 22 percent of the company’s stake, making them among the world’s youngest self-made billionaires.
This is the same record previously held by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Mark Zuckerberg became a billionaire at the age of 23, while Adarsh and Surya achieved this feat at just 22. And surpassed Mark Zuckerberg. Not only did he make history, but he also demonstrated the potential of this new generation to lead globally through technology and innovation.
Inspired by Thiel Fellowship
Both Adarsh and Surya were members of the Thiel Fellowship, a program started by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel that provides up to $100,000 to young people who want to drop out of college and start their own startup. The fellowship provided both financial support and mentorship, giving them the courage to turn their ideas into reality. Leaving universities like Harvard and Georgetown was no easy decision, But both of them believed in their dreams and today their same faith has become an example for the world.
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India And the Growing role of AI
Adarsh and Surya’s success also symbolizes India’s growing technological prowess and talent. Young people of Indian origin have made their mark in the US tech industry before—whether it’s Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, or these two new names. The story of these two shows that the next generation of Indian origin is no longer just working in large organizations, but is setting up new companies that will shape the future.
Mercor is also focused on providing opportunities to talented developers from countries like India so that more and more people can join the global tech ecosystem.
