Years ago, Gagan (@gaganbiyani) tried to hire me as an intern. It was a full-circle moment to interview him about Horowitz Andreessen Academy (@theacademysf). Some backstory: I studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. Waterloo is famous for its co-op program - you can't get a Bachelor's until you complete 5 internships. Two co-ops in, I knew ChemEng wasn't my path. So I taught myself to code and set my sights on working in Silicon Valley. A surprising number of companies were willing to interview someone with no CS degree. One of them was Sprig, with Gagan as its founder. Once I got an offer, he got on the phone with me multiple times. He was trying to convince me to join, but what he actually did was convince me I belonged in tech. I ended up picking a more established company (might have been my loss). But I never forgot how confident and capable he made me feel. That's what @theacademysf is about: learning by building, and betting on capable students before they have the credentials. Gagan spent his entire career challenging the education system. I’m so excited for him to make this bet a reality! Interview dropping soon!