In an “insane plot twist,” a 16-year-old CEO who was previously barred from LinkedIn for failing to meet the platform’s age criteria has suddenly joined the company as an intern. Eric Zhu was banned at the age of 15 because LinkedIn requires users to be at least 16 years old. The official announcement was made by Mr Zhu on the microblogging platform X (previously Twitter). In his post, he included two photographs. The first image included a caption that said, “LinkedIn Bans 15-Year-Old Startup CEO As He Is Too Young To Be On The Platform.” Mr. Zhu was seated in an office in the second shot, clutching a note with the LinkedIn logo and his name printed on it. “Insane,” reads the text linked to the post.
Eric Zhu is the co-founder and CEO of Aviato
The tweet, of course, is now making all the right noises on social media. A user wrote, “Well, well, see how the tables have turned.” Another one asked, “They hired you? 😀 That’s hilarious. How’s your startup doing, btw?” “Congratulations, and I learned trivial knowledge that LinkedIn once reduced the minimum age from 18 to 14 and then increased it to 16,” a user wrote. “What about X’s age limit?” a user questioned, to which Eric Zhu wrote, “I wish they would let me change my age so I can get monetized, lol.”
For those who are unfamiliar, Eric Zhu is the co-founder and CEO of Aviato. He founded this company when he was 15 years old. Aviato is primarily a platform focused on assisting entrepreneurs in obtaining finance.