China's shortage of AI talent has led technology giants to hire teenagers.

      Forget campus recruiting; China’s largest tech companies are focusing on young coders.

      A 13-year-old boy in Hangzhou has already achieved victory in national AI competitions and amassed an online following of over 136,000, all while his father navigates a field that was hardly relevant during his own youth. The family's situation, initially reported by Rest of World, highlights the current trajectory of China’s tech sector.

      Previously, companies awaited graduates to apply; now, they are looking further back—first at undergraduates, and increasingly at teenagers, aiming to identify exceptional talent before others do.

      Why the shift towards recruiting teenagers?

      The simple answer is a significant talent shortage. McKinsey estimates that China could face a shortfall of 5 million AI professionals by 2030, with more AI job openings than qualified candidates currently available. Tencent has recently established programs for students aged 13 to 18, teaching everything from AI product management to quantum computing. ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming has taken it a step further by co-founding a research initiative that selectively recruits only 30 students annually as full-time trainees.

      Then there’s Geely, which has completely reversed the traditional hiring process. The automaker now hires students directly from high school, providing them training in AI and EV technologies alongside their education, and guarantees them a job that pays the same as a new graduate's salary upon completion.

      Does this mean that having a degree is becoming less important?

      MiniMax, a leading AI startup in China, states that while it is not yet hiring high school graduates, it has moved away from treating a degree as a stringent requirement. The company prioritizes curiosity and inherent ability over formal qualifications.

      This trend is not exclusive to China. Google co-founder Sergey Brin has mentioned that the company is becoming more willing to hire individuals without a bachelor’s degree. Ultimately, AI is not only transforming job roles but is also altering who is eligible for them. Degrees, age, and conventional resumes are starting to carry less weight compared to raw talent and inquisitiveness.

      Rachit is an experienced tech journalist with over a decade of experience in the consumer technology sector.

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