He becomes a billionaire at 24 and reveals what everyone should do to follow in his footsteps

At just 24, Alexandr Wang had not only founded a company worth billions of dollars but had also become the youngest billionaire in the world. His story, however, is not one of an untouchable genius, but rather of someone who—by his own account—followed a path that any young person could pursue with enough time and effort.

Born in 1997 in Los Alamos, New Mexico, Wang grew up immersed in science. From an early age, he showed an aptitude for computer programming, a passion that led him to enroll at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His university career, however, was short-lived. He soon left to work as an algorithm developer at a commodities trading firm, where he began applying his knowledge in real-world settings.

According to Mirror, it was during this period that Wang first saw the potential of applying artificial intelligence to data processing. In 2016, at just 19 years old, he co-founded Scale AI, a company specializing in software for training AI models. Within five years, Scale had become a leader in the field, partnering with clients such as OpenAI, Meta, and the U.S. Department of Defense.

In a recent interview on the TBPN podcast, Wang emphasized that his success wasn’t the result of a secret formula but of relentless dedication: “You just have to know how to make the most of the tools. It’s impossible to underestimate how radically I’ve become with AI programming.” For him, the key lies in mastering AI-driven tools such as Qodo, GitHub Copilot, and Tabnine, which automate tasks like code debugging and formatting.

Wang insists that we are living through a moment of radical transformation in software development. “That moment is happening right now, and if you’re about 13 years old, you should be spending all your time programming AI,” he said. In his view, the future will belong to those who can communicate with machines with precision. “One of the most important skills in the future will be the ability to tell a computer exactly what you want—and then have it do it for you,” he added, citing researcher Andrew Ng, co-founder of Google Brain.

But Wang’s philosophy goes beyond tools. He stresses the importance of time invested. Drawing on Malcolm Gladwell’s famous “10,000 hours” theory, Wang argues the principle still applies—but with a twist: “It’s actually, in a way, this incredible moment of discontinuity where if you spend 10,000 hours playing with tools and figuring out how to use them better than other people, that’s a huge advantage.”

Looking ahead, Wang envisions a future where AI models handle much of the workload currently carried out by programmers. “Literally, all the code I’ve ever written will be able to be produced by an AI model in the next five years,” he said. Far from seeing this as a threat, he views it as an opportunity, lowering barriers to entry and allowing more people to become programmers.

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Today, at 28, Wang continues to lead Scale AI while devoting much of his time to sharing his experiences and encouraging young people to follow in his footsteps. His message is clear: success is not reserved for a chosen few but for those willing to learn, practice, and adapt in a world where artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules of the game.

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