A San Francisco resident recently posted about a stunning experience with an Uber driver who, to his amazement, is a retired professor with a distinguished academic history.
Sonith Sunku posted on X a picture of his Uber driver, Professor Paul, a scholar who started his education at Stanford University at 16 years old. By the time he was 24, he had doctorates in mathematics and economics.
Sonith Sunku posted on X a picture of his Uber driver, Professor Paul, a scholar who started studying at Stanford University at the age of 16. By 24, he had two doctorates in mathematics and economics.
“My Uber driver attended Stanford at 16, earned PhDs in math and economics by 24, and spent 40 years teaching quantum physics at Berkeley. Now retired, he drives for Uber weekly and donates all his earnings. You are an inspiration, Professor Paul,” Sunku wrote, accompanied by a photo of the professor-turned-driver.
The post soon took the internet by storm with a storm of praise from users of social media. With a renowned academic career, Professor Paul still works and devotes his time to philanthropic work.
The post initiated some reactions on the net. One of the users simply wrote, “There should be a service where people with such incredible life experiences can give guided rides in their cities—maybe once a week or as per their convenience. What an enriching experience that would be! Though I doubt it would work in India.”
A different commenter took a more philosophical view, writing, “He seems to be living out a profound desire to be a flâneur—an observer of life’s unfolding narrative in the city, absorbing the sights and sounds while maintaining a certain detachment.”