World’s Youngest Microsoft Pro Dies At 16
The tech world has not yet moved on from the loss of great pioneers and innovators in 2011, and here comes another demise. The prodigy from Pakistan that amazed no less than Microsoft’s founder Bill Gates, has passed away. This is indeed depressing news to start the year, but the heartache will grow when you learn that this tech genius died at a very tender age of 16.
An invaluable asset to her country and the world, Arfa Karim suffered an epileptic attack last December that led to a coma. She never fully recuperated since the attack, and departed this life last Saturday, January 14th. Deemed as the world’s youngest Microsoft professional at 9 years old, Karim is also a winner of the President’s Pride of Performance. In her honor, the IT Media City in Karachi will be renamed after her, and will now be known as the Arfa Karim IT Media City. Gates has already expressed grief and extended condolences to the young ace’s family.
In an interview with Seattle P-l years ago, Karim threw out some remarkable words: “If you want to do something big in your life, you must remember that shyness is only the mind. If you think shy, you act shy. If you think confident, you act confident. Therefore never let shyness conquer your mind.”
Other tech greats lost
It’s as if the world stopped spinning for a few moments when news broke that Apple’s founder and father, Steve Jobs succumbed to pancreatic cancer in October. This visionary has become the perpetrator of perhaps the most successful conglomerate of last year, thanks to products that sprang from his genius that include iPhone and iPad line-ups which ruled the holiday market scene. The innovator has received numerous recognitions since his death, including a Grammy and a million-dollar life-size bronze statue in Budapest, Hungary.
Others we’ve lost in recent months include Dennis Ritchie, the man behind the C programming language, and Patricia Dunn, former chairwoman of HP. As the world bids farewell to this young genius, the what-could-have-beens of this very promising Pakistani teen will forever haunt the tech community and perhaps her loved ones. Having such accomplishments before the onset of her adolescence is incredible. Her future is so bright, I just hope it has inspired countless people who have yet to explore their potential.
Since you’re here …
… We’d like to tell you about our mission and how you can help us fulfill it. SiliconANGLE Media Inc.’s business model is based on the intrinsic value of the content, not advertising. Unlike many online publications, we don’t have a paywall or run banner advertising, because we want to keep our journalism open, without influence or the need to chase traffic.The journalism, reporting and commentary on SiliconANGLE — along with live, unscripted video from our Silicon Valley studio and globe-trotting video teams at theCUBE — take a lot of hard work, time and money. Keeping the quality high requires the support of sponsors who are aligned with our vision of ad-free journalism content.
If you like the reporting, video interviews and other ad-free content here, please take a moment to check out a sample of the video content supported by our sponsors, tweet your support, and keep coming back to SiliconANGLE.
