A Russian software company has invited a seven-year-old coding prodigy to join its management team once he is old enough to be employed.
Sergey from the Russian city of Saint Petersburg has made a name for himself by uploading videos explaining how to write software since he was five.
Based on those videos, the information security company Pro32 sent him a written job offer for the position of head of corporate training.
Under Russian law, Sergey would not be able to take on a paid role until he was 14.
But Igor Mandik, CEO of Pro32, told the BBC World Service that he had spoken to Sergey’s parents about finding ways to work together in the meantime.
“His father, Kirill, was surprised and said they were very happy and looking forward to when Sergey could join the company,” Mandik said.
‘A coding Mozart’
In his videos, Sergey looks fresh and smiles enthusiastically. He speaks in Russian and sometimes in a bit of broken English and goes through the coding challenges step by step.
His YouTube channel has more than 3,500 subscribers, who are interested in learning the Python and Unity programming languages, or hearing more about neural networks, which underlie many artificial intelligence tools.
Mr Mandik said Sergey showed not only remarkable developer skills, but also “equally unique” skills in teaching.
“To me he is a kind of Mozart.”
“I am absolutely sure that when he turns 14, he will be a guru of teaching and a guru of development, and that is why we are very much looking forward to this time,” he said.
Not only programmers, but also salespeople, accountants and others at Moscow-based Pro32 can learn from Sergey, Mr. Mandik said.
No promises have been made yet about the reward, as the going rate is likely to change significantly.
“We have to wait seven years,” Mandik said. “Then we will certainly have a conversation about his salary.”
