In Silicon Valley’s ever-evolving tech universe, three 22-year-olds have achieved what few could even dream of they’ve dethroned Mark Zuckerberg’s long-standing record to become the world’s youngest self-made billionaires. The secret to their success? A revolutionary AI startup named Mercor, now valued at a jaw-dropping $10 billion.
Founded by Brendan Foody, Adarsh Hiremath, and Surya Midha, Mercor is transforming how artificial intelligence learns by connecting global AI labs with human experts who refine and train machine learning models. What began as a college project has now turned into one of the fastest-growing companies in the human-in-the-loop AI space, employing over 30,000 contractors across the globe and paying out more than $1.5 million daily.
What makes their story even more fascinating is how ordinary it all began. The trio met as debate team captains at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose – articulate, ambitious, and fiercely competitive. While their paths diverged academically with Hiremath heading to Harvard and Foody and Midha enrolling at Georgetown, fate, and a shared vision, brought them together again.
Each co-founder took a daring leap when they received the Thiel Fellowship in 2024, a $100,000 grant encouraging young innovators to drop out of college and build world-changing startups.
Hiremath left Harvard; Midha and Foody withdrew from Georgetown. Soon after, Mercor’s journey accelerated.
The company began by pairing small engineering teams with startups, but soon pivoted into a global AI labour marketplace.
Today, Mercor uses advanced algorithms to match engineers, lawyers, and even doctors to AI companies seeking real-world expertise. With $350 million in funding and backing from big names like Peter Thiel, Jack Dorsey, Adam D’Angelo, and Larry Summers, Mercor’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric.
Interestingly, India remains the startup’s largest talent hub, a nod to the founders’ Indian roots. As Mercor scales its operations across continents, these young innovators are redefining what it means to build, dream, and disrupt proving that the next generation of billionaires isn’t just coding apps; they’re reshaping how the world works with AI.