'Bad At Math, No IIT': Indian-Origin Engineer's Inspiring AI Leadership Journey Goes Viral

The success story of Soumith Chintala, an engineer from Hyderabad, has gone viral on social media, drawing widespread praise for his resilience and dedication. An X (formerly Twitter) user recently shared details of Chintala's journey, pointing out that unlike many high-profile tech figures who graduate from premier institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) or National Institutes of Technology (NIT), Chintala studied at Hyderabad Public School and earned his B.Tech degree from VIT Vellore. 

"No IIT. No NIT. Bad at Maths. Yet this guy is the creator of PyTorch, former VP at Meta, and now the CTO at Thinking Machines Lab," the post read. "Growing up, there was no computer in his home. He used his neighbour's computer instead." 

Today, Chintala is globally recognised for co-creating PyTorch-the open-source machine learning framework that now powers an estimated 90% of global AI research.

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Rejected by 27 US universities 

Chintala's path to success was marked by repeated setbacks. In 2009, while applying for higher studies in the United States, he received 27 rejection letters before securing a spot at New York University (NYU). 

Even after completing his master's degree, success did not come immediately. He faced numerous job rejections and was even forced to briefly leave the US due to visa complications.

However, he eventually joined Meta AI and now works as the CTO at Thinking Machines Lab. 

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See the post here:

Meet Soumith Chintala from Hyderabad, Telangana, who completed his https://t.co/Ws1j7hoGgc from VIT Vellore. No IIT. No NIT. Bad at Maths. Yet this guy is the creator of PyTorch, former VP at Meta, and now the CTO at Thinking Machines Lab.

Growing up, there was no computer in… pic.twitter.com/eaT0tZ8PQz

— Vikas Alwys (@VikasAlwys) July 25, 2026

Social media reaction

The post gained significant traction online, with thousands of users praising his determination. "No IIT, 27 university rejections, and still went on to create PyTorch. The lesson is simple: your starting point doesn't define your ceiling," one user commented. 

"This is the definition of resilience. From no computer at home to building the tool that powers most of AI research. Absolute legend," added another.

"Inspiring story," said a third user.