A 14-year-old prodigy has graduated from university, criticizing schools as insufficient to teach him, and is about to join Elon Musk. | HO

(Image 1: Kairan Quazi in graduation robes)

At just 14 years old, Kairan Quazi has graduated from Santa Clara University’s School of Engineering.

The prodigy gained attention for skipping elementary school and becoming the youngest AI employee at a Fortune 100 company. Now, he’s joining SpaceX—the aerospace company founded by billionaire Elon Musk.

“Next stop… SpaceX!!!” Quazi announced on Instagram, sharing a screenshot of his offer letter from the spacecraft manufacturer. “I’ve accepted a Software Engineer position at one of the coolest companies on Earth! Thank you all for following my wild journey!” he wrote.

In an interview with USA Today, Quazi stated he has the intellectual and emotional maturity to work professionally, regardless of his age. After earning his high school equivalency diploma from California at age 10, Quazi accepted SpaceX’s offer in late April and will begin working at Starlink—the satellite internet division—next month.

“They [SpaceX] genuinely accommodated my timeline,” Kairan said. “I’m thrilled and amazed at how quickly they made their decision. This opportunity aligns with my deepest desire to be part of something bigger than myself.”

The teenager revealed he underwent 10 rounds of interviews with Elon Musk’s company before being hired. He and his mother will relocate to Washington state for the role.

Previously, Quazi applied to 98 different jobs, receiving only three offers. He chose SpaceX because the company didn’t use his age to assess his maturity.

“Rejections would literally come within hours after recruiters saw me on Zoom calls,” he explained. “I never even met hiring managers at 95 companies. All three offers came from firms whose leadership values matched their talent philosophy. No one batted an eye at my age.”

Kairan added he was drawn to SpaceX by the “excitement of applying multidisciplinary skills to expand global communication capabilities.” He noted: “They attract like-minded people driven by radical innovation and collaborative impact. SpaceX has a 0.2% acceptance rate—so it’s humbling that their recruiters believe I can become one of the nation’s top engineers.”

(Image 2: Kairan at a tech conference)

Under Washington state labor laws, SpaceX requires no special permits to hire him, as he meets the minimum legal working age.

Kairan’s mother, Jullia Quazi, expressed immense pride: “We’re ecstatic he’s joining SpaceX. We know their hiring bar is astronomically high. Once again, he proved us wrong.”

When asked about skipping most of elementary school, Quazi quipped: “My soul was slowly dying in grade school—I barely made it through third grade.”

Timeline of Achievements

2018: Began college at age 9.
2019: Earned high school equivalency diploma (California) at 10; became Intel Labs’ first undergraduate intern and youngest-ever AI Fellow.
2020: Received Associate of Science in Mathematics at 11.
2022: Interned at a cybersecurity startup.
2023: Graduated with B.S. in Computer Science/Engineering; joined SpaceX.