How I Built This with Guy Raz Khan Academy: Sal Khan. From Tutoring His Cousins to Teaching the World For Free (September 2020)
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Dec 8, 2025 
Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, shares his inspiring journey from a high-paying finance job to creating a free educational platform serving millions. He discusses the early spark that came from tutoring his cousin, which led him to harness the power of YouTube for educational content. Sal emphasizes his vision for world-class education accessible to anyone and reflects on key moments, like receiving support from Bill Gates and forming a nonprofit to maintain trust. His focus remains on providing quality learning experiences without the distractions of profit.
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How Tutoring Nadia Sparked Khan Academy
- Sal began tutoring his 12-year-old cousin Nadia remotely using phone and Yahoo Instant Messenger with a pen tablet.
- After a few weeks she regained confidence and moved from remedial to advanced math, which hooked Sal on teaching.
Protect Creativity With Work–Life Balance
- Keep life balance to avoid burnout and make better decisions at work, as Dan advised Sal.
- Recharge by reading and having other interests to stay creative and avoid groupthink.
YouTube Turned Cousin Lessons Into Global Reach
- Sal recorded screen-capture videos and uploaded them to YouTube to scale his tutoring for family.
- Viewers worldwide began sending life-changing thank-you messages, showing the format's reach.