A Vancouver tech prodigy has cemented his place in history, earning the Guinness World Record for the youngest software engineer (male) after landing a full-time position at Microsoft at the remarkable age of 16.
Rayyan Siddiqui, who was formally hired by the tech giant on September 17, 2021, at the age of 16 years and 340 days, is a true testament to the power of self-taught passion. The record is the culmination of a decade-long journey that began when he was just seven years old, exploring Photoshop tutorials on YouTube.
Rayyan’s journey reads like a tech-fueled fairytale. After mastering photo editing, he taught himself web development, app creation, and game design, all through online tutorials. By the time he was 12, he had built one of the largest anime apps, and at 14, he had already graduated high school.
His early projects showcased a maturity far beyond his years, including a tour guide app for British Columbia, a cartoon streaming platform, and a court counter for basketball games. These projects eventually led to a coveted internship at Microsoft at the age of 14, a position that quickly evolved into a full-time role.
As a software engineer at Microsoft’s Azure Communication Services team, Rayyan’s typical day is a blend of coding, communication, and problem-solving. He says his favorite part of the job is building scalable and reliable solutions that address real-world problems.
“It all started with Photoshop,” he told Guinness World Records. “I had an idea one day that it would be cool to change the colour of my little sister’s eyes… my interest in photo editing grew.”
Now, at 20 years old, the tech prodigy is not only continuing his work at Microsoft but also nurturing his own tech company, RayTech, with the goal of helping others learn and succeed in the world of technology and AI. His story is a powerful reminder that with dedication and a thirst for knowledge, age is truly just a number.
