Satyam Kumar’s life story serves as an incredible testament to what can be achieved with hard work, dedication, and an unyielding spirit. His journey from a small village in Bihar to the hallways of Apple Inc. symbolizes the limitless potential that lies within India’s youth.
NEW DELHI (India CSR): The IIT-JEE (Indian Institute of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination) is known to be one of the most grueling competitive exams in India. Every year, millions of aspirants try their luck to secure a coveted seat in one of the country’s prestigious IITs. While most require multiple attempts to get through, a young prodigy named Satyam Kumar rewrote history when he cleared the exam at just 13 years old in 2013. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
The Unprecedented Achievement
Born in Bakhorapur village in the Bhojpur district of Bihar, Satyam Kumar broke all previous records by becoming the youngest person ever to crack the IIT-JEE exam. He secured the 670th rank in his very first successful attempt. Satyam’s father, a humble farmer, supported his ambitions while he prepared for the exam in Kota, Rajasthan.
Not Settling for Less
Interestingly, Satyam had initially taken the IIT-JEE exam in 2011 at the age of 12. Although he managed to secure an All India Rank (AIR) of 8137, he was not content with the outcome. Determined, he retook the test the following year and improved his rank dramatically to AIR 679. “I was not satisfied with my low rank and hence repeated the test this year. I was confident of making it this year again,” he told Economic Times back then.
The Journey Continues: IIT Kanpur to PhD
After this extraordinary accomplishment, Satyam went on to join IIT Kanpur for a dual BTech-MTech degree in Electrical Engineering. Ambitious and driven, he expressed a desire to develop something as impactful as Facebook one day.
Touching International Shores
Post completion of his degrees at IIT Kanpur, Satyam didn’t stop there. He flew to the United States to pursue a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. Demonstrating a consistent pursuit of excellence, he completed his PhD in 2024 at just 24 years old.
Stepping Into the Corporate World
Breaking into a Multinational Company
According to Satyam Kumar’s LinkedIn profile, he is currently working as a Machine Learning Intern at Apple, a company valued in the multi-crore range. His journey, from being a farmer’s son in a small village to an intern at one of the world’s most valuable companies, is nothing short of inspirational.
