Meet Ashish Kumar Verma: IIT Delhi dropout who joined Microsoft at just 19, became one of the world’s youngest Google Developer Experts

Every day, you see stories on the internet of people shedding tears over not getting into IITs or IIMs. In India’s education system, where getting a degree from an acclaimed institute is placed at the top-tier value, many make it their dream of life and not achieving it truly breaks their heart.However, currently, a young lad is going viral for doing something completely unconventional and what some would call delusional for his career. Ashish Kumar Verma, who was studying at IIT Delhi, left the prestigious institution to join Microsoft at 19.In his post going viral on LinkedIn, he said he entered the tech giant before he was legally old enough to drink. Calling his journey an unconventional one, he said his decision was driven by clarity about his career goals rather than a desire to complete a traditional college education.He further classified students into two broad groups. According to him, one group enters college to explore different interests, making institutions such as IIT suitable for them. The other group, he said, already knows what it wants to pursue and prefers to start building early.Verma said he belonged to the second group since he was the world’s youngest Google Developer Expert at the age of 18. Moreover, he had participated in Japan’s Sakura Science programme and presented an app to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.

Why did he join Microsoft

He explained that he joined Microsoft for the freedom to experiment rather than the brand prestige. “I didn’t join for the badge. I joined because every rockstar I wanted to learn from was one ping away,” he wrote.The 19-year-old added that as a Microsoft employee, he could ping creators of C#, Typescript, Kub engine and get ideas that are not there on the internet. “AI execution can be done, but ideas, creativity and taste come from these people who actually know what’s going on,” he added.

Message to aspiring developers

For people who already knew what they wanted to build, Verma advised not to wait for a degree, title or permission and bet on themselves. “Hey, let's make an LLM technology will not ask for your Bachelors, Masters, PhD to access knowledge, so if you wanna build, just build,” he said.Moreover, he rejected the view that unconventional career paths lacked support, arguing that access to AI tools, the internet and online communities had made learning and networking easier than ever.

"'The system isn't built for people who want to take an unconventional path' this isss suchh a big lie on the internet... stop blaming the system, get out and experiment," he wrote.Verma’s story underscored a recent and rising trend among the Indian Gen Z who value proof of work, learning experience, network leverage and creative autonomy over formal degrees. They are ready to take risks and bet on themselves knowing that grit and hard work along with accessibility of resources like the internet and AI can make everything happen, if one wills.