Michael Sayman Explained

Michael Sayman
Birth Date:24 August 1996
Birth Place:Miami, Florida, U.S.
Nationality:Peruvian, Bolivian, American
Occupation:mobile application entrepreneur, author

Michael Arthur Sayman (born August 24, 1996), is a Peruvian–Bolivian–American mobile application entrepreneur, software engineer, political activist,[1] and author.[2] He is best known for creating top-charting apps as a teenager[3] to provide for his family during the Great Recession,[4] [5] [6] as well as his subsequent work at Facebook.[7] Described by Semana as "the most influential Latino in Silicon Valley",[8] in 2019, Sayman was included on Forbes's 30 Under 30 list,[9] and has additionally been featured at TED.[10]

Sayman published his first app to the App Store (iOS) when he was 13 years old.[11] He later gained recognition from Mark Zuckerberg with his launch of 4 Snaps, a turn-based photo game, in his junior year of high school.[12] Zuckerberg then hired Sayman, becoming Facebook's "teen-in-residence" at 18,[13] [14] taking part in the creation of Instagram Stories.[15] [16] His success with mobile application development grew in his teenage years, generating millions in revenue as a high school student.[17] At age 18, he was described by CNET as one of the 20 Latinos with the biggest influence in the tech industry.[18]

Personal life

Michael was born in Miami, Florida in 1996 to Bolivian father Miguel Sayman and Peruvian mother Maria Cristina Gálvez Sayman.[19] [20] A large part of his life is defined by effects the Great Recession had on his childhood.[21] [22]

In 2010, when Sayman was 13 years old, his parents lost their jobs and were forced to foreclose their home.[23] His mother considered having them move back to Peru. Sayman insisted they remain in the United States, and that he would pay for everything.[6] Throughout his adolescence, he provided for his family via the money he earned publishing apps on the App Store.[24] In an interview with People magazine regarding his teenage years, Sayman said there were moments in which he did not know how his family would be able to afford to buy food or pay the electricity bill.[25]

In 2014, as tech companies were flying Sayman out to tour their campuses and speak at conferences, he still owed tuition to Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, the private high school he attended.[26] The school refused to give him his graduation certificate due to his inability to pay the outstanding balance he owed.

In August 2018, Sayman publicly came out as gay in an interview with People en Español.[27] [28] He said in the interview that he chose to come out because he believed that "this will be able to help other Latinos who go through the same situation."[29]

Programming career

Early career

Sayman taught himself programming through tutorials he found via Google.

In 2013, Sayman developed an app named "4 Snaps", a turn-based game that gave the user a choice of words, allowed them to take four pictures based on the word they picked, and then sent over to the opponent player to guess what the word was, based on the pictures taken.[30] He released the app on August 8, 2013 and by the following year, the app had over one million downloads.

4 Snaps was received with mostly positive reviews. It peaked at No. 1 on the word games chart with a few million users.[31]

Facebook (2014–17)

Sayman joined Facebook when he was 18.[32] Mentored by Mark Zuckerberg, Sayman played a role within the company as the social network's "go-to teen" and as its "teen-in-residence" according to TED. Over the course of 3 years at the company, he worked on developing products for the teenage demographic.[33] He helped the social-media company understand how his generation uses technology, advising on experimental products for teens and helping executives understand trends.[34]

While working at Facebook, he launched Lifestage, a standalone, video-centric social app for high school students. The app was largely focused on the teenage demographic; anyone 22 or older is locked into only being able to see their own profile.[35] When users signed up, with no need for a Facebook account, they would select their high school, and then see the video profiles from people at their school or ones nearby. Sayman released the app on August 19, 2016, for iOS devices in the United States. The app was met with criticism regarding its privacy model and compared to Snapchat and Yik Yak.[36] [37] Facebook pulled Lifestage from the app store and shut it down on August 4, 2017.[38] [39] Sayman left Facebook that same month.[40]

Google

Sayman joined Google to work on its 'Assistant' project.[41] Sayman worked on building a social-gaming startup within Google as part of the company's effort to create offspring companies from within the internet-search conglomerate.[42] [43]

At age 22 in 2019, Sayman's work at Google led to him being chosen to be on Forbes's 30 Under 30 list, a prestigious list of successful professionals under the age of 30.[44] His entry on the list notes his experience as Facebook and his work on Google's "Assistant" function.

Post-Google (2020–)

In 2020, Sayman left his role at Google to join Roblox, a video game platform.[45] [46] Sayman has been described by Semana as "the most influential Latino in Silicon Valley". A memoir by Sayman, App Kid, that details his upbringing and family life was released in September 2021.[47] [48]

In 2022, microblogging platform Twitter hired Sayman to work in a product group called "0–1", focused on new features geared toward younger users.[49] Also during this year, Sayman launched a new startup, Friendly Apps, which raised over $3 million dollars from seed investors.[50]

In 2024, Sayman developed and released a new app, News Ticker, for the Apple Vision Pro. The app went on to become number one in the "News" category among apps sold on the App Store.[51]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 'Tax the Hell Out of Me,' Says Young Millionaire Google Exec at Prospect of a President Bernie Sanders. 2021-01-30. Common Dreams. en.
  2. Book: Sayman, Michael. App Kid: How a Child of Immigrants Grabbed a Piece of the American Dream. Knopf. 2021. 9780525656197.
  3. Web site: June 14, 2012. El niño que diseña aplicaciones. 2021-01-30. BBC News Mundo. es.
  4. Web site: Palacios. Oswaldo. December 1, 2012. Genio peruano destaca creando aplicaciones para Apple. 2021-01-30. RPP. es.
  5. Web site: Michael Sayman, el genio de Apple que es hijo de un boliviano: "Nunca dejen que se pierdan sus sueños". 2021-01-30. Oxígeno Digital. es.
  6. Web site: This 21-year-old Latino Millionaire Saved His Family From Financial Crisis as a Teen. 2021-01-30. PEOPLE.com. EN.
  7. News: DeAmicis. Carmel. April 30, 2014. How a Florida kid's "stupid app" saved his family's home and landed him on the main stage at Facebook. Pando.
  8. Web site: Semana. December 15, 2020. Michael Sayman, el latino más influyente de Silicon Valley, desde los 13 años mantiene a su familia. 2021-01-30. Semana.com Últimas Noticias de Colombia y el Mundo. spanish.
  9. Web site: 30 Under 30 2019: Consumer Technology. 2021-01-30. Forbes. en.
  10. Web site: TEDxMenloCollege TED. 2021-01-30. www.ted.com.
  11. Book: Tapia, David Blay. ¿Por qué no nos dejan trabajar desde casa?. September 4, 2014. Bubok. 9788468657028. September 4, 2014. Spanish.
  12. News: Conoce a Michael Sayman, el trabajador más joven de Facebook. Spanish. América Televisión. 2018-11-14.
  13. Web site: 'I certainly lacked the foresight to understand what would come of the next few years in my life'. 2021-01-30. www.9news.com.au.
  14. Web site: Michael Sayman dice que probablemente tenga coronavirus EL DEBER. 2021-01-30. eldeber.com.bo. March 16, 2020 . es.
  15. Web site: Kantrowitz. Alex. Snapchat was 'an existential threat' to Facebook — until an 18-year-old developer convinced Mark Zuckerberg to invest in Instagram Stories. 2021-01-30. Business Insider.
  16. Web site: December 15, 2020. Michael Sayman, el fichaje estrella de Roblox antes de su próxima salida a Bolsa. 2021-01-30. El Español. es.
  17. Web site: Almost a year after coming out, Michael Sayman reflects on his decision. 2021-01-30. People en Español.
  18. Web site: Español. Redacción de CNET en. Los 20 latinos y latinas más importantes en el mundo de la tecnología de CNET en Español. 2021-01-30. CNET en Español. es.
  19. Web site: Bolivia. Opinión. Programador de Facebook cuenta sus secretos. 2021-01-30. Opinión Bolivia. June 27, 2015 . es.
  20. Web site: Michael Sayman Is 16 and About to Release His 9th App. 2021-01-30. ABC News. en.
  21. News: March 11, 2018. Conoce al inmigrante hispano de 21 años que es considerado un genio de 'Google' y ya es millonario. Univision Noticias.
  22. News: March 29, 2017. Michael Sayman, el prodigio de Facebook, revela el difícil camino del éxito. Noticias Caracol.
  23. Web site: Warren. Katie. This 21-year-old millionaire was hired by Facebook at 17 and now works at Google — and his career advice is wise beyond his years. 2021-01-30. Insider.
  24. Web site: Teen's App Helps Pay Family's Bills. 2021-01-30. NPR.org. en.
  25. Hansen. Lena. November 2018. Una vida sin secretos. People en Español. Spanish. 78.
  26. Web site: DeAmicis. Carmel. September 1, 2014. How Facebook's newest teen engineer supported his family with apps until cashing in. 2021-01-30. gigaom.com. en-US.
  27. Web site: Ingeniero de Google cuenta su verdad: "Soy gay". 2021-01-30. People en Español. es.
  28. Web site: Michael Sayman, exitoso ingeniero hispano de Google, se declara gay. 2021-01-30. eldia.com.bo. November 30, 2001 .
  29. Web site: Sayman: "Tengo miedo de que me vean como el ingeniero que es gay" EL DEBER. 2021-01-30. eldeber.com.bo. August 25, 2018 . es.
  30. Web site: Beasley. Mike. August 8, 2013. Review: 4Snaps is a fun new word game for iOS. 2021-01-30. 9to5Mac. en-US.
  31. Web site: Facebook's new teens-only app Lifestage turns bios into video profiles. 2021-01-30. TechCrunch. August 19, 2016 .
  32. Web site: Facebook teen-in-residence defects to Google and launches Lies. 2021-01-30. TechCrunch. November 15, 2017 . en-US.
  33. Web site: Michael Sayman deja Facebook y se va a Google EL DEBER. 2021-01-30. eldeber.com.bo. August 28, 2017 . es.
  34. News: May 2, 2018. Google Wunderkind Is Building a Secret Social-Gaming Startup. en. Bloomberg.com. 2021-01-30.
  35. Web site: King. Hope. August 22, 2016. Snapchat, is that you? Facebook's new Lifestage app for teens is another clone. 2021-01-30. CNNMoney.
  36. Web site: Heath. Alex. What it's like to use Facebook's new Snapchat competitor that's only for high schoolers. 2021-01-30. Business Insider.
  37. Web site: Privacy concerns about Facebook LifeStage app. 2021-01-30. www.privacytrust.com.
  38. Web site: Musil. Steven. Facebook pulls plug on teen-focused network Lifestage. 2021-01-30. CNET. en.
  39. Web site: Gartenberg. Chaim. August 8, 2017. Facebook killed its standalone Snapchat app after realizing teens already have Snapchat. 2021-01-30. The Verge. en.
  40. News: August 28, 2017. Facebook's 21-Year-Old Wunderkind Leaves for Google . Bloomberg.com . 2021-01-30.
  41. Web site: Google: Google and Facebook are fighting over this 21 year old. 2021-01-30. The Economic Times.
  42. Web site: El genio Michael Sayman explica los lanzamientos de Google . 2021-01-30 . . October 6, 2017 . es.
  43. Web site: Newton. Casey. December 15, 2018. 22 predictions for social media in 2019. 2021-01-30. The Verge.
  44. Web site: 30 Under 30 2019: Consumer Technology. 2021-01-30. Forbes. en.
  45. Web site: Ghosh. Shona. The 24-year-old whiz kid who was hired by Mark Zuckerberg then Google is leaving to work at Roblox. 2021-01-30. Business Insider.
  46. Web site: Lee. Allen. December 21, 2020. 10 Things You Didn't Know about Michael Sayman. 2021-01-30. Money Inc. en-US.
  47. Web site: Galuppo. Mia. August 27, 2021. Rights Available: New Books With Hollywood Appeal. 2021-08-28. The Hollywood Reporter. en-US.
  48. Book: Sayman, Michael . App kid : how a child of immigrants grabbed a piece of the American dream . . September 21, 2021 . 978-0-525-65619-7 . New York . en . 1175678571.
  49. News: Lorenz . Taylor . March 8, 2022 . Twitter is looking for younger users. It's turning to the tech world's teen savant to help find them. . . 2022-03-08.
  50. Web site: Perez . Sarah . May 26, 2022 . Friendly Apps raises $3 million, pre-product, for apps that improve people's well-being . May 8, 2023 . TechCrunch.
  51. Web site: Perez . Sarah . 2024-02-12 . Over half of Vision Pro-only apps are paid downloads, far more than wider iOS App Store . 2024-02-13 . TechCrunch . en-US.

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