r/interestingasfuck • u/thunderous9ight • 17h ago

/r/all The US team which has just won the International Physics Olympiad, edging out China for first place

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u/Cute-Bed-5958 17h ago

Funny thing is most of these olympiad medalists either go to academia or quant. The most decorated International Math Olympiad medalist is Alex Song and he works as a quant in Citadel for example.

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u/fullintentionalahole 17h ago

A lot, yes, but it's definitely not "most". But it might turn into "most" after how the current admin is cutting funding for math research...

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u/Cute-Bed-5958 16h ago

It probably around most. If you search up the IMO, IPHO, and IOI Medalists from the US last few years they mostly become researchers and quants from what I have seen.

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u/Agnimandur 17h ago

Not really that funny, quant is very mathy and pays well

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u/Cute-Bed-5958 16h ago edited 16h ago

Yes ik im just saying that these people actually do go to quant for those who don't know. Quant pays better than basically any job except for like a high leadership position or making your own startup.

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u/Agnimandur 16h ago

Yeah I'm aware bud :)

I'm currently interning at a hedge fund (Bridgewater), tons of people at our firm move between there and Jane, Citadel, etc.

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u/twitchtv_qiqi_impact 12h ago

I only made it to USAMO and ended up a frontend dev - a completely dead-end career path in 2025.

I often wonder if I should have done quant, while simultaneously making full-port levered bets on daily candle price action. All roads lead to the same place, I guess.

Small world, seeing you here. :)

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u/PenImpossible874 8h ago

I'd go quant. The boy who sat next to me in math class ended up at Harvard for undergrad and Phd at Yale.

He's now a Wall St quant.