Tynan on Technology (beta)

The WhizKid Files: Andrew Sutherland

Tynan on Technology (TOT) recently had a chance to converse (by email) with Andrew Sutherland, the 17 18-year-old creator of Quizlet, an online study app that’s been used more than 12 million times. A profile of Andrew (and nine other whizkids) is now posted on PC World’s web site. Here’s what Andrew had to tell me.

TOT: What inspired you to write Quizlet?

In my sophomore year of high school, my French teacher gave me a list of 111 French-to-English animal vocabulary. I didn’t know how to approach it; it was so big. I had an “aha” moment when I realized I could apply some of my coding skills toward making a systematic way to learn vocabulary. So I built a prototype, showed it to a few friends, and when everyone aced all their tests I knew I had to develop the site beyond just a prototype.

TOT: Are you doing what you saw yourself doing as a small child? Are you living your dream? Or has your career path been more serendipitous?

I wanted to be a firefighter, an astronaut, a zoo keeper; you know, all the typical things. I never really thought out a choice to make a career out of computers. I just got more and more into it, and now here I am. It’s still tough to say what my dreams are, but I think I’m having a pretty fun time with what I’m doing now.

TOT: What’s a typical day like?

It’s not terribly exciting: 7:40 to ~3:10 at school and the rest of my time doing Quizlet, work for other clients, homework, or hanging out with friends if I get a chance.

TOT: Where do you see yourself in 10 or 20 years? Do you think you’ll be doing the same thing?

Gosh I hope not! The only reason I do Quizlet is because it’s continually challenging. I would think 20 years from now Quizlet will be slightly less of a challenge for me than it is now!

TOT: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far? What challenges do you anticipate?

The biggest challenge so far has been staying active within Quizlet’s community and responding to the hundreds of messages I get every week. I present a friendly and involved personality, but it’s tough to be friendly with hundreds of people at the same time! In the future, I anticipate the challenge of getting more involved on the business side of things, getting other employees involved, managing them, meeting with investors, that kind of stuff. For a young programmer with no institutional experience in the business world, it can be daunting.

TOT: Do you feel like you’ve had to sacrifice what it typically means to be a kid to achieve what you’ve achieved? What has been the biggest sacrifice? What do you miss?

Completely. I grapple with this every day. The biggest sacrifice has been the time commitment and the disconnect between my friends and Quizlet. Quizlet is not something I can have an interesting conversation about with my friends at school. I miss blending in a little more, not being the kid who is going to make a million bucks or whatever.

TOT: What advice do you have for other young people who may be looking to follow a similar path?

The key to all this young entrepreneurial stuff is action. The best way to bypass low expectations from adults is to let your work speak for you. Ageism definitely exists in the business world, but people usually recognize talent when they see it, no matter where it came from.

TOT: What else would you like to say to our readers?

I try not to let Quizlet take over my life. It’s important to maintain a balance between running a business and being a regular high schooler. I spent two months away from the keyboard this summer doing Americorps in Mississippi and Maine, and it was the greatest summer of my life. It was very refreshing.