It’s Thursday and we are continuing our “Ordinary People, Extraordinary Decisions” series where we highlight another person who embodies the statement: “Change the way you think, and you can change the world.”
Have you ever tried to help a sibling, child, or friend with their homework? Salman Khan was asked to help his cousin Nadia with her math problems in 2004, and he turned that simple request into a non-profit organization that has helped 38 million YouTube viewers worldwide.
Salman is a 33 year old from New Orleans who just wanted to help his cousin and other family members learn math. Before I talk about his “Extraordinary Decision” I should be clear that I don’t consider Salman “ordinary” in any traditional sense of the term. He received a perfect score on the math section of the SAT’s, holds degrees in mathematics, electrical engineering, and computer science in addition to an MBA from Harvard. He’s wicked smart! However, he was an average person in the sense that he was holding down a full time job and he just wanted to help his cousin learn how to solve math problems.
Salman began remotely tutoring his cousin online and over time realized it would be more efficient to record his lessons and post them on YouTube. As the popularity of his videos grew, he realized the need for “free education” provided in a simple, direct, and relaxed approach. Today, Salman has produced over 2,000 ten-minute videos on YouTube ranging from elementary school mathematics to college level calculus (where was this when I was in undergrad?). He averages 35,000 hits per day and has big plans for the future of Khan Academy? Monetization, right?
Wrong!
Khan has received several offers to sell his videos and the Khan Academy and turned each one down. The organization itself is a non-profit. Khan could likely retire today based on the offers he has received. Google has even contributed $2 Million to translate the videos into additional languages. The possibilities are endless. Individuals in the most remote areas of the world can receive world-class tutoring with the click of the mouse. It’s amazing.
As if the story isn’t extraordinary enough already, consider the fact that Salman has been named one of Fortune Magazine’s “Top 40 under 40″ (a prestigious list of rising entrepreneurs) and even Bill Gates said he uses the Khan Academy to teach his kids.
What I find truly extraordinary is his perspective on selling Khan Academy:
“I’ve been approached several times, but it just didn’t feel right. When I’m 80, I want to feel that I helped give access to a world-class education to billions of students around the world.”
As far as his long-term vision, he says:
“I see Khan Academy becoming the world’s first free, world-class virtual school where anyone can learn anything–for free.
The videos are just part of the vision. We hope to build out the adaptive software to cover all the topics that the videos cover. We also intend to develop simulation games to give more nuanced and applied understanding of concepts.”
I am amazed and inspired by Salman Khan’s brilliance, innovation, and philanthropy.
Salman Khan decided to think differently, and he is changing the world.
How did you make a difference in the world today?
Editor’s Note: Breanne Harris is the Solutions Architect for Pearson TalentLens. She works with customers to design selection and development plans that incorporate critical thinking assessments and training. She has a Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology and has experience in recruiting, training, and HR consulting. She is the chief blogger for Critical Thinkers and occasionally posts at ThinkWatson. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter for more of her thoughts.
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This is really tremendous and above all more extraordinary…i wish khan academy expand beyond horizons