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3h ago

Kairan Quazi, 16, Joins Citadel Securities After Two Years at SpaceX

He says quantitative finance delivers comparable complexity with faster, measurable results.

Quazi hasn't been shy about his feelings on age being used to "gatekeep" opportunities.
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Kairan Quazi leaves SpaceX at 16 to join Citadel Securities in New York.

Overview

  • The teen engineer has started in New York as a quant developer focused on global trading infrastructure, relocating to an apartment a 10-minute walk from the office.
  • At SpaceX’s Starlink division, he built production-critical software that guided satellite beam targeting for reliable internet service.
  • He chose Citadel Securities over offers from AI labs and major tech firms, citing rapid feedback loops and a meritocratic culture.
  • Quazi accelerated through school, became Santa Clara University’s youngest graduate, and completed an Intel Labs internship at age 10.
  • His move underscores finance’s push to recruit top engineering talent, with Citadel Securities a leading market maker handling a large share of U.S. retail stock trades.