Today I sit down with Kevin Zhu — former Citadel quant and Palantir developer, to unpack how he built an unconventional, accelerated career in tech. We break down the systems he used to go from a struggling freshman to landing top-tier quant offers, what Citadel was actually like, why he walked away, and how he’s now pivoting toward meaningful AI research.We also dive into whether CS is still worth it, the real math needed for quant roles, and how to build a career that’s both competitive and fulfilling. A must-listen for CS students, aspiring quants, and anyone navigating elite tech recruiting.Computer science students, new grads, and software engineers…want to land your dream software engineering job or internship? Click here 👉  https://www.amanmanazir.com/coaching/?utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcasts_description&utm_campaign=KevinZhu_Quant_Palantir&video=Trop--U5ncs🚀 Get my free Software Engineering Crash Course – https://www.amanmanazir.com/7dayengineer🎧 Listen to all episodes of the Software Engineering Accelerator Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/AmanManazirListen to our new podcast, @TheEntropyShow: https://youtu.be/MDJQXbXPngg?si=vQqITmNzy3fhfcV1I’m Aman Manazir, a career coach and software engineer. I interned at companies like Amazon, Shopify, and HP in college, and the day I graduated I landed a $168,000/year* full-time software engineering job. I help you make it as a computer science student & software engineer and get your dream job offer.📄 Get my free resume template – https://www.amanmanazir.com/resume🧠 Get my free LeetCode Roadmap – https://www.amanmanazir.com/leetcode💌 Free weekly productivity insights/advice – https://amanmanazir.com/newsletter📕 All my free Notion templates – https://www.amanmanazir.com/notion📝 Sign up for Notion – https://affiliate.notion.so/2nh3pjr6l5l6📷 Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amanmanazir/🐦 Twitter – https://twitter.com/amanmanazir👉 Kevin’s AI Research Program (Algoverse): https://www.algoverseairesearch.org/?utm_source=Youtube&utm_medium=influencer&utm_campaign=amanmanazir%0A👉 Kevin’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW00d0U-WhIbyPDdu_gihCA👉 Kevin’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinzhu.ai/—⏱️ Timestamps:00:00 Introduction - Kevin's Journey to Citadel01:44 Mastering High School Math at Age 1205:01 The Kumon Experience and Future Plans08:27 Growing Up in Suburban Illinois Schools10:06 Parents as Professors - Early Lab Experience12:05 Childhood Research and Lasting Friendships14:09 Arriving at Berkeley - Culture Shock18:23 First Semester Struggles and Winter Recovery20:38 Building Study Systems That Actually Work22:00 Self-Help Books and Productivity Deep Dive25:00 Time Blocking Changed Everything27:00 CS70 Discrete Math Breakthrough Moment29:36 Breaking Into Competitive Tech Recruiting31:27 The Startup to Amazon Pipeline33:29 Landing Multiple Quant Offers36:26 Goldman Sachs Quant Experience38:48 Software Engineering Accelerator42:38 Citadel Interview Process Deep Dive45:00 Super Day - Multiple Interview Rounds47:20 DRW Offer and Negotiation Strategy49:29 $154/Hour at Age 2150:42 Jane Street and Top Firms52:40 Ken Griffin Stories and Headphones54:15 Joining Palantir After Citadel55:27 Why I Left Palantir Early57:13 Leaving Quant Entirely - The Decision59:47 Money Isn't Everything - Finding Meaning1:02:40 Starting Algorverse AI Research Program1:05:00 Paper Featured by OpenAI1:06:20 Bell Labs for AI - The Vision1:07:15 Mentorship vs Self-Teaching Debate1:10:00 Math Requirements for Quant Careers1:15:00 Upper Division Classes Strategy1:19:06 AGI Timelines and AI Safety1:23:40 Functioning Despite AI Concerns1:26:59 Is CS Still Worth It?1:28:54 The Future of Software Engineering

Ver todos los episodios