From Rejection to AI Pioneer: Soumith Chintala's Inspiring Journey
Soumith Chintala's remarkable transformation from facing repeated academic and professional rejections to becoming a leading figure in artificial intelligence has captured the imagination of tech enthusiasts everywhere. His recent appointment as chief technology officer at Thinking Machines Lab, one of the world's largest AI research companies, marks a significant milestone in his career.
Chintala's story resonates deeply with students and professionals navigating competitive environments, particularly in India's demanding education and job markets. Social media platforms have shared his journey extensively, with posts about his experiences garnering over a million views.
Early Struggles and Academic Hurdles
Chintala grew up in Hyderabad, attending Hyderabad Public School before enrolling at Vellore Institute of Technology. He openly acknowledges struggling with mathematics during his early education. His path to postgraduate studies in the United States proved particularly challenging.
Despite achieving a strong GRE score of 1420, Chintala faced rejection from twelve American universities during his first application attempt. Undeterred, he traveled to the United States on a J-1 visa to attend Carnegie Mellon University without a definitive plan. He submitted applications to fifteen more universities, receiving only two acceptances.
The University of Southern California offered him admission first, followed by a late acceptance from New York University in 2010. At NYU, Chintala joined a research lab led by Yann LeCun, where he began working on early deep learning projects. This connection with LeCun would later play a crucial role in shaping his career trajectory.
Professional Challenges and Visa Complications
After completing his master's degree, Chintala encountered further obstacles in the job market. Major technology companies including Google and DeepMind rejected his applications. Amazon extended his only offer, for a position as a test engineer.
With guidance from a PhD mentor, Chintala eventually joined MuseAmi, a small startup. Between 2011 and 2012, he contributed to mobile deep learning projects and helped develop one of the fastest AI inference engines for smartphones at that time.
Immigration regulations created additional complications. His J-1 visa required him to return to India for two years before pursuing other opportunities in the United States. Chintala spent months securing necessary waivers from USCIS and the US State Department, eventually qualifying for an H-1B visa and later obtaining an EB-1 green card.
PyTorch Development and Meta Career
Chintala's career took a decisive turn when he immersed himself in open-source work, particularly with Torch7. His contributions caught the attention of Yann LeCun, leading to an opportunity at Facebook AI Research in 2014.
Starting as a software engineer, Chintala joined a small team working on what would become PyTorch. The project faced significant internal resistance and nearly collapsed at one point. Chintala has spoken candidly about the emotional strain during this challenging period.
The team persevered, and PyTorch officially launched in 2017. Over the following decade, it grew into one of the world's most widely used machine learning platforms. Chintala spent eleven years at Meta, advancing from an L4 engineer to vice-president and fellow while becoming a central figure in AI infrastructure development.
New Leadership Role and Lasting Inspiration
In November 2025, Chintala left Meta to assume the position of chief technology officer at Thinking Machines Lab. He reflects gratefully on the support he received from mentors like Yann LeCun and Pierre Sermanet, along with friends and family who stood by him during years of uncertainty and financial pressure.
While some note that Chintala benefited from elite academic exposure, his story primarily demonstrates remarkable persistence. For countless young engineers facing their own challenges, Chintala's rise after more than a decade of rejection offers powerful proof that setbacks need not determine one's future.
