Alexandr Wang shares 2017 chat: his math-competition crew predicted to be the next PayPal mafia
alexandr_wang · x · 2026-11-09
Alexandr Wang recalls a 2017 lunch with Scott Wu (both 19) where they mused that their IMO/IOI/math-competition circle could become the next PayPal mafia. Nearly a decade later, many of those AoPS/camp/internship friends are now prominent AI founders and researchers, including Scott Wu, Demi Guo, and others. He shares the original gchat screenshot and jokes that kids solving math problems with anonymous cross-country friends online may just turn out alright.
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