Teen's $30M app didn't impress Ivy League - But Georgia Tech said Yes

ATLANTA - Zach Yadegari, an 18-year-old with a 4.0 GPA, a 34 ACT score, and a startup earning $30 million a year, recently learned that launching a wildly successful AI app isn’t necessarily a ticket to the Ivy League.

Rejected by 15 top schools

What we know:

Despite his app Cal AI — which lets users snap photos of their food to instantly track calories and macronutrients — racking up over five million downloads and pulling in $2 million a month, Yadegari was rejected by 15 of the 18 colleges he applied to, including Harvard, Yale, MIT, and Stanford. Fortunately, Georgia Tech, the No. 1 college in Georgia and No. 4 in the nation (per Niche), did not miss the memo.

What they're saying:

In a viral open letter to the Ivy League trio of Harvard, Yale, and Stanford, Yadegari blamed the rejections on what he sees as an admissions system gone off the rails — one that prioritizes "diversity over merit" and "adversity over excellence." He called the current system "unfair and un-American," and pointed out that kids running fake clubs apparently get in while those running real businesses do not.

While Yadegari’s app boasts 4.8-star ratings and more glowing reviews than most restaurant chains can dream of, the college admissions committees weren’t biting. Some on social media suggested that maybe it wasn’t the résumé, but the vibe of the personal statement. Critics described the essay as "cocky" and "arrogant" and noted that it came across as someone begrudgingly applying to college for the sake of a social life — which, to be fair, Yadegari more or less confirmed in a post.

Accepted by Georgia Tech

Still, not all doors were slammed shut. Georgia Tech — a school with a 95% graduation rate, a median post-grad salary of nearly $80K, and an acceptance rate just north of 12% this year — offered him a spot. So did the University of Texas and the University of Miami.

Also accepted to Emory, but won't be attending either school

Dig deeper:

In a follow-up video (top of story), Yadegari said he expected his college rejection post to go viral — just not this viral. The tweet, which included his 4.0 GPA, 34 ACT score, and screenshots of rejection letters, has drawn more than 30 million views — and, apparently, a tsunami of online hate.

Yadegari said critics tore apart his personal statement, accused him of arrogance, and even called him racist. He maintained that his essay was authentic, not arrogant, and that his intent was to spark discussion about what he sees as a broken admissions system. "I really just stated facts," he said. "Here’s me, and here’s where I got in."

He also admitted that he left Emory University (also on lists as one of top schools in the country) off his original list of acceptances to make the tweet "look worse" and boost engagement. As for Georgia Tech, he toured the campus but wasn’t wowed by the social scene, noting that while the students were smart, there were "zero attractive girls." (Social life, he said, is his main reason for going to college.)

Now he’s deciding between UT Austin and the University of Miami — leaning toward Miami for the palm trees, poolside campus, and "vacation vibes." His mother disapproves, but Yadegari says he’s earned it: "I feel like I kind of deserve that paradise."

Atlanta Viral Education