In a remarkable Silicon Valley story, three 22-year-old founders — including Indian-origin technologists Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha — have become the world’s youngest self-made billionaires, surpassing the record once held by Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. Their AI-driven startup, Mercor, reached a staggering $10 billion valuation after a $350 million funding round, propelling the trio into billionaire status.

Mercor began in 2023 as a platform to connect software engineers with U.S. companies needing freelance talent. By harnessing artificial intelligence to streamline hiring and pivoting into high-value work like data labelling and expert training for leading AI labs, the company rapidly scaled its operations. Today Mercor supports tens of thousands of specialists around the world and works with major players in the AI ecosystem.

Hiremath, who studied computer science at Harvard before leaving to focus on Mercor, and Midha, who studied international relations at Georgetown, met co-founder Brendan Foody through academic and debate circles. All three received support as Thiel Fellows — a program that funds young entrepreneurs to build transformative ventures.

Their achievement underscores the explosive growth of AI startups and highlights a new generation of innovators making history — not just with disruptive technology but with global economic impact at an unprecedentedly young age.