> Sarah: Built a fusion reactor at 16. Now? Debugging fintech payment systems.
It's striking to imagine a fully functional fusion reactor that could benefit humanity, yet its creator now focuses on fintech payment systems. This highlights the importance of a strong middle class, which seems to be declining globally. A thriving middle class, with disposable income and free time, creates the conditions for innovation. Without it, even brilliant minds like Einstein might spend their entire careers working on immediate economic needs rather than pursuing breakthrough discoveries.
What you are saying is essentially true. I just don't want people to come away with the notion that building a fusion reactor and yielding net energy from said reactor is equivalent. They are very very very far away from each other in terms of complexity.
They seem believable to me, as a graduate of the same university.
I have friends from Imperial College who now work at ESA, Los Alamos, quantum computer research etc, but also others working in banks, hedge funds or adtech.
Top of my computer science class is working at a hedge fund, number two is working at a fintech startup.
It's on their website, even specifically for electrical engineers (since that's the topic)
Probably what was built was a Fusor. There's tons of instructions how to build one (https://fusor.net/board/) and seemingly there's a lot of focus on how "young" the builders of such are. Just google: fusion reactor teenager. In some of the stories it become apparent the fusor was never actually even finished but just along the way.
Yeah that really stood out to me. Like obviously she just put paper mache on a lamp and said it’s a model reactor, so why pretend it’s a serious achievement.
Same with using a 3D printer to print a rigid arm, or saying “imagine if I built a swarm, that would be so cool”
There’s definitely a delusion among rich children that they are geniuses. Poor schools can’t afford participation awards.
It's striking to imagine a fully functional fusion reactor that could benefit humanity, yet its creator now focuses on fintech payment systems. This highlights the importance of a strong middle class, which seems to be declining globally. A thriving middle class, with disposable income and free time, creates the conditions for innovation. Without it, even brilliant minds like Einstein might spend their entire careers working on immediate economic needs rather than pursuing breakthrough discoveries.