When I was 12 years old, I wasn’t thinking about school or the future—I was just obsessed with figuring things out.
I would take apart toys, radios, and any piece of hardware I could find, just to see how they worked. Sometimes I’d put them back together. Other times, they stayed in pieces forever. But that process—breaking things, experimenting, learning from mistakes—was the most exciting thing in the world to me.
🖥️ Discovering the Internet and Hacking Stuff
Around that time, I got access to a computer and the internet, and suddenly, my curiosity had no limits.
I wasn’t just taking apart physical objects anymore—I was learning how software worked. I read about how programs were made, how people hacked things just for fun, and how you could manipulate software to do things it wasn’t originally designed for.
I started experimenting with code, writing small scripts, and playing around with anything I could find online. Then I discovered robotics and started building small robots, programming them to move and respond to input. Every project was a mix of excitement and frustration—when things didn’t work, I’d spend hours troubleshooting, researching, and tweaking.
🚀 Landing My First Job at 15
By the time I was 15, I wasn’t just experimenting anymore—I had become proficient in full-stack web development. I could build websites, set up servers, work with databases, and make interactive applications from scratch.
And that’s when I got my first real job as a software engineer intern.
For the first time, I wasn’t just working on my own projects—I was building software for real users. I was writing production code, collaborating with other developers, and learning what it really meant to work in tech. It was overwhelming at first, but it pushed me to level up fast.
👨💻 Leading a Team at 18
At 18, I wasn’t just writing code—I was leading projects.
I had gone from being an intern to running full development cycles, designing system architectures, and mentoring other developers. I started to realize that being a great engineer isn’t just about coding—it’s about problem-solving, making smart technical decisions, and leading teams.
🎯 Becoming a CTO at 20
By 20, I became CTO of an AI startup.
Now, instead of just focusing on writing code, I was responsible for scaling infrastructure, handling cloud deployments, optimizing databases, and ensuring our systems could handle real users. Everything I had learned over the years—through trial and error, self-teaching, and breaking things—became invaluable.
Suddenly, it wasn’t just about being a great developer anymore—it was about leading, making high-level architectural decisions, and turning ideas into reality.
🔥 Looking Back
I never planned to become a CTO. I never had a roadmap or a structured plan.
I just followed my curiosity, kept building things, and learned by doing.
If there’s one thing I’ve realized through all of this, it’s that learning never stops. There’s always a new challenge, a better way to do things, and something else to explore.
And honestly? That’s the best part.
Top comments (2)
Inspiring journey! Your story of tinkering with toys to leading an AI startup as CTO at 20 is a testament to curiosity-driven learning. I relate to that thrill of breaking things to understand them—my own path started similarly, just with less robotics and more browser hacks. How do you keep that hands-on spark alive now as a CTO? Excited for more of your insights!
Well said