The 14-year-old hired by Elon Musk's SpaceX is too young for LinkedIn, has his account restricted
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- Kairan Quazi is only 14 years old.
- But age wasn't a barrier to him landing a job as a software engineer at Elon Musk's SpaceX.
- LinkedIn, however, says he's still too young to join the professional networking platform.
Kairan Quazi, the newest software engineer to join Elon Musk's SpaceX, is only 14 years old.
But while his age didn't prove to be a barrier to him landing a job at SpaceX, LinkedIn says he still is too young to join the networking platform.
On Tuesday, Quazi posted on his Instagram a screenshot of a message from LinkedIn that said his account had been restricted since he did not meet the platform's age requirements. In the screenshot, LinkedIn directed Quazi to the platform's user agreement, which has a minimum age requirement of 16 years old.
"We're excited by your enthusiasm, energy and focus. We can't wait to see what you do in the world," the message Quazi received from LinkedIn read. "Because you currently do not meet the age eligibility criteria to join, we have restricted your account."
The message said that Quazi would be allowed to rejoin the platform when he turned 16, and that he would receive a refund for his LinkedIn premium subscription plan.
Insider confirmed that Quazi's account was no longer publicly accessible.
In the caption on his Instagram post, Quazi expressed his frustrations about the policy, writing "I can be qualified enough to land one of the most coveted engineering jobs in the world but not qualified enough to have access to a professional social media platform?"
In a comment sent to Insider, Quazi said he believes LinkedIn's age policies "lack imagination" and are "rooted in adultism" — a concept that refers to a bias that favors adults over young people.
"Someone like me needs a lot of access to mentors and also to the industry discussions that take place on the platform," Quazi wrote. "LinkedIn's decision leaves me at a disadvantage versus any other person in my position."
He added that he is "hopeful that LinkedIn leadership will see the need to update their age policy to at least align with most labor law."
Before his LinkedIn was restricted, Quazi wrote in a LinkedIn post about his new position working as a software engineer with Starlink, SpaceX's satellite and internet service division.
"I will be joining the coolest company on the planet as a software engineer on the Starlink engineering team," Quazi's LinkedIn post read. "One of the rare companies that did not use my age as an arbitrary and outdated proxy for maturity and ability."
LinkedIn did not respond to Insider's request for comment ahead of publication.
Quazi is set to graduate from Santa Clara University this month, where he studied computer science and engineering, The Seattle Times reported. He and his family are planning on moving to Redmond, Washington to start his new job at SpaceX, The Times reported.