At an age when most teenagers are focused on high school exams, Kairan Quazi has already built a résumé that many professionals spend decades pursuing.
The American-Bangladeshi prodigy, who earned a computer science degree from Santa Clara University at 14, went on to become the youngest engineer at Elon Musk’s SpaceX, contributing to the company’s Starlink satellite project. Now, at just 16, he is making another bold move—leaving aerospace for the world of high finance.
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Quazi grew up in a family steeped in technology and finance. His mother, Jullia Quazi, is an investment banker on Wall Street, while his father, Mustahid Quazi, is a chemical engineer. Encouraged by this environment, he developed an early interest in mathematics, computing and technology.
By age 11, he had already earned an Associate of Science degree in Mathematics from Las Positas College, demonstrating a rare blend of focus and advanced problem-solving ability.
Quazi made history in 2023 as Santa Clara University’s youngest-ever graduate in its 170-year history, completing his computer science and engineering degree at just 14.
He was soon recruited by SpaceX, where he joined the Starlink team and spent two years working on production-critical systems to improve satellite beam targeting—key to ensuring reliable global internet coverage.
In 2025, he announced his decision to move on from SpaceX to join Citadel Securities, one of the world’s leading high-speed trading firms that manages roughly 35% of US retail stock trades. As a quantitative developer, he will focus on enhancing the firm’s trading systems.
Explaining his decision, he told Business Insider: “After two years at SpaceX, I felt ready to take on new challenges and expand my skill set into a different high-performance environment.” He added that Citadel’s “ambitious culture” and the chance to enter a “completely new domain” were key attractions.
Quazi also revealed that he declined offers from artificial intelligence labs and major technology companies, choosing instead to pursue finance. “Quant finance offers a pretty rare combination: the complexity and intellectual challenge that AI research also provides, but with a much faster pace … I’ll be able to see measurable impact in days, not months or years like many research environments,” he said.
His career began even earlier, with an internship at Intel Labs at the age of 10, followed by a role at Blackbird.AI in 2022. His path into finance has been partly influenced by his mother’s career in investment banking, blending technical expertise with exposure to financial markets.
Despite his accomplishments, Quazi has faced challenges due to his age. In 2023, LinkedIn suspended his account for being underage—a decision he criticised as “illogical, primitive nonsense”, pointing out the inconsistency of being considered too young for a professional networking site while qualified to work at SpaceX.
Now, as he begins his tenure at Citadel Securities, Quazi stands as one of the youngest figures in global finance, continuing a trajectory that has already marked him as one of the most remarkable prodigies of his generation.
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