Sal Khan, born on October 11, 1976, in Metairie, Louisiana, is an educator, entrepreneur, and the founder of Khan Academy, a nonprofit educational platform that offers free online lessons and resources. Khan’s background in mathematics and electrical engineering led him to earn degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University. Initially, he worked in various roles in finance and technology, including as a hedge fund analyst, before transitioning into education. His inspiration to teach came from tutoring his cousin in mathematics via phone calls and later uploading videos to YouTube, which quickly gained traction and a large following.

In 2008, Sal Khan founded Khan Academy, with the mission of providing free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere. The platform started as a series of instructional YouTube videos on subjects like math, science, history, and economics, but it soon expanded into a full-fledged learning ecosystem. Khan Academy offers interactive exercises, assessments, and teacher tools, becoming a go-to resource for students, educators, and lifelong learners worldwide. The platform’s unique approach, which breaks down complex topics into bite-sized, digestible lessons, has made it an invaluable tool in both formal education systems and independent learning environments.

Under Khan’s leadership, Khan Academy has grown exponentially and attracted significant investments from individuals like Bill Gates and organizations like Google. In 2012, Sal Khan was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. His work continues to reshape how education is delivered, making learning more personalized and accessible. Beyond academics, Khan has advocated for changes in how schools approach teaching, promoting the idea of “flipped classrooms” and mastery-based learning, where students progress at their own pace, mastering concepts before moving on to more advanced topics.