Kairan Quazi: Meet the 16-Year-Old Bengali Prodigy Who Left Elon Musk’s SpaceX to Join Wall Street

After making headlines as SpaceX’s youngest engineer, a 16-year-old youngster is now entering the banking industry. After joining SpaceX shortly after graduating with a degree in computer science and engineering at the age of 14, Kairan Quazi has chosen to accept a new position with Citadel Securities in New York City.

He contributed to production-critical systems that managed how satellites directed their beams to deliver internet access throughout his two years of employment on the Starlink project. His efforts helped to increase Starlink services’ dependability and speed.

From SpaceX to Wall Street

Quazi made the decision to depart SpaceX and pursue a career in financial technology in 2025. He will now work as a quantitative developer for Citadel Securities, a worldwide trading company that handles roughly 35% of US retail stock trades.

After two years at SpaceX, Quazi told Business Insider that he felt prepared to take on new challenges and broaden his skill set in a different high-performance setting. Citadel’s “ambitious culture” and access to a “completely new domain” were what drew him in, he continued. Quazi turned down offers from large tech businesses and AI research laboratories in favour of financing.

Why He Chose Finance Over Big Tech?

He gave Business Insider an explanation for his choice, saying that quantum finance offers a unique blend of intricacy and intellectual challenge that AI research also delivers, but at a far faster rate. Instead of months or years, as is the case in many study settings, he will be able to observe quantifiable impact in a matter of days. He will be working on creating technologies at Citadel that facilitate rapid international trade.

Early Career & Academic Achievements

Before graduating from college, Quazi started his career early by working as an intern at Intel Labs when he was ten years old. In 2022, he was also employed at Blackbird.AI. His interest in finance was influenced by his mother’s job in mergers and acquisitions.

Challenges at a Young Age

Quazi’s age has presented difficulties despite his accomplishments. He attacked LinkedIn’s 2023 decision to ban his account for being underage as “illogical, primitive nonsense,” pointing out the difference between being permitted to work at SpaceX and being denied access to a professional networking site.

Family & Influences

Kairan Quazi was raised in a tech- and finance-related family in the San Francisco Bay Area. His father, Mustahid Quazi, is a chemical engineer, and his mother, Jullia Quazi, is employed on Wall Street. Early academic exposure sparked Quazi’s interest in technology, computer science, and mathematics.

He graduated from Las Positas College with an Associate of Science in Mathematics at the age of eleven. He earned a degree in computer science and engineering at the age of 14, making him the youngest graduate in Santa Clara University’s 170-year history.