Three 22-Year-Olds Become World's Youngest Self-Made AI Billionaires

Mercor, a San Francisco-based AI recruiting startup, has created the world's youngest self-made billionaires with its three 22-year-old founders, CEO Brendan Foody, CTO Adarsh Hiremath, and board chairman Surya Midha, who collectively own about 66% of the company. The startup recently secured a $350 million funding round led by Felicis Ventures, valuing Mercor at $10 billion and surpassing Mark Zuckerberg's record as the youngest self-made tech billionaire. All three founders are Thiel Fellows, recipients of Peter Thiel's $100,000 grants for young entrepreneurs who skip college to build companies, highlighting a new generation of AI-driven entrepreneurs. Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha, who are of Indian origin and former Bay Area high school debate teammates, exemplify India's growing influence in global transformative technologies like AI. This achievement underscores the dynamic impact of young innovators shaping the future of technology through AI-human collaboration. The founders' rapid rise from college dropouts to billionaires reflects the accelerating pace of the AI boom and its disruptive impact on traditional career paths.