Move Over Zuckerberg: Three 22-Year-Olds Just Became The Youngest Self-Made Billionaires In History — Thanks To An AI Hiring Startup
News Summary
Three 22-year-old high school friends have become the world's youngest self-made billionaires, according to Forbes, thanks to their San Francisco-based artificial intelligence hiring startup, Mercor. The company recently raised $350 million in funding led by Felicis Ventures, valuing it at $10 billion. Each founder—Brendan Foody, Adarsh Hiremath, and Surya Midha—holds roughly 22% of the company, pushing their personal fortunes past the billion-dollar mark before their 23rd birthday. Mercor initially aimed to connect engineers in India with U.S. companies for freelance coding work, later finding a niche in AI data labeling by matching experts with leading AI labs like OpenAI. The company's AI-automated recruitment platform screens applicants and manages payments, propelling its annualized revenue from $100 million in March to $500 million by September. Mercor's founders have surpassed Mark Zuckerberg, who became a billionaire at 23, to set a new record. Despite a lawsuit from Scale AI over alleged trade secret theft, the founders remain focused. They envision a future where humans teach AI judgment and nuance, creating a symbiotic relationship where AI handles repetitive tasks while professionals focus on higher-value work.
Background
Mercor was founded in 2023 by three high school friends, Brendan Foody, Adarsh Hiremath, and Surya Midha, all of whom are Thiel Fellows—a program by billionaire Peter Thiel that grants young entrepreneurs $100,000 to pursue business ventures instead of college. Initially, Mercor focused on connecting engineers in India with U.S. companies for freelance coding work. The company later pivoted to AI data labeling, using its platform to match expert contractors, including Ph.D.s, lawyers, and software engineers, with leading AI labs like OpenAI to train sophisticated AI models. Mercor's platform automates recruitment with AI, leading to rapid growth, with its annualized revenue soaring from $100 million in March to $500 million by September 2025. This latest funding round valued the company at $10 billion and minted the youngest self-made billionaires in history.
In-Depth AI Insights
Does the rapid, AI-driven wealth creation herald a sustainable new economic era or an accelerated bubble? The hyper-speed wealth generation fueled by AI reflects the disruptive potential of technological shifts, yet it also raises concerns about potential bubbles. Mercor's success indicates: - Critical Technology Gaps: The reliance of AI models on high-quality data labeling and human feedback creates immense market demand, a gap Mercor has effectively captured. - Capital Efficiency and Scalability: The platform model, combined with AI automation, allows companies to scale rapidly with low marginal costs, achieving revenue growth and valuation surges far quicker than traditional service models. -