A Russian software company has invited a 7-year-old coding prodigy to join its management team as soon as he is old enough for paid employment.
Originally from the Russian city of St. Petersburg, Sergey has made a name for himself by uploading videos explaining how to write software since he was five years old.
With the help of these videos, information security company Pro32 sent him a written job offer for the position of Director of Corporate Training.
According to Russian law, Sergei cannot hold a paid position until he is 14 years old.
However, Pro32 chief executive Igor Mandik told the BBC World Service that he had spoken with Sergei’s parents about finding a way to work together in the meantime.
“His father Kirill was surprised and said that (they) were very happy and were looking forward to (when) Sergey could join the company,” Mandik said.
In his video, Sergei appears to be smiling enthusiastically with a fresh face. He speaks Russian and sometimes a little broken English and takes you through coding challenges step by step.
His YouTube channel has over 3,500 subscribers who are interested in learning the programming languages Python and Unity, or who want to hear more about neural networks, the basis of many artificial intelligence tools.
Mandik said that Sergei not only demonstrated excellent developer skills, but also “equally unique” skills in teaching.
“For me, he’s a kind of Mozart.”
“I’m absolutely convinced that when he turns 14, he’s going to be an education guru and a development guru. That’s why we’re really looking forward to this time,” he said. spoke.
Mandik said that not only Moscow-based Pro32’s programmers, but also salespeople and accountants could learn from Sergei.
No salary has been promised yet, given that current interest rates can change significantly.
“We’ll have to wait seven years,” Mandik said. “Then we will definitely start discussing his salary.”
