Zach Yadegari, an 18-year-old CEO of AI firm Cal AI and entrepreneur, has made news after he posted an open letter to Harvard, Yale, and Stanford on social media. The post follows his rejection by all three Ivy Leagues, despite a spotless academic record and a multimillion-dollar company to his credit.

Yadegari, a 4.0 GPA and 34 ACT score achiever, who runs a business that generates $30 million in annual revenue, utilized the letter to vent frustration and challenge the criteria used by the best schools during admissions.

In his now-viral letter, Yadegari described his own path as a homegrown programmer who started learning to program at the tender age of seven. He developed his first application at age 12 and proceeded to found and develop a successful AI business while still in high school. He wondered if high school graduation, college graduation, and getting a "real job" are still deemed valuable by top universities, writing:

“If someone like me, who has demonstrated both academic and professional success, cannot gain admission, what does this say about the accessibility and inclusivity of higher education?”

Yadegari also shared his college admissions essay on X (formerly Twitter) in which he openly confessed to having doubted the worth of further education. He outlined his initial forays, including an early exit from a successful online gaming company at 16 years of age.

As his story made the rounds on social media, many supporters rallied around the young businessman, hailing his achievement and criticising the university system.

Some speculated that his open skepticism toward college in his essay may have played a role in the rejection decisions. One commenter wrote, “You don’t need an Ivy League degree…,” echoing the sentiments of others who questioned whether prestige still trumps proven potential.

Yadegari has secured admission to the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Miami—two respected schools known for their tech and innovation programs.

 

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