Xavier Niel will train future engineers in Silicon Valley – Le Figaro

The entrepreneur has announced the opening of a US office for 42, his school computer of a new kind. It will welcome its first students in November.

42 hoisted the American flag. The computer school founded by Xavier Niel on Tuesday announced the opening of a new facility in Fremont, California. Launched in Paris in 2013, the project was intended to disrupt the computer education to make it more accessible and tailored to companies of tomorrow. He drew the attention of many entrepreneurs, including in Silicon Valley. For this post, Xavier Niel has paid the luxury of a promotional video with a dozen well-known personalities of the environment, and all very enthousiates: Evan Spiegel (Snapchat CEO), Kayvon Beykpour (CEO of Periscope), Jack Dorsey (CEO of Twitter), David Marcus (vice president of Facebook), etc.

“We can be proud to inspire the United States rather than the opposite,” says Xavier Niel at Le Figaro . The contractor claims the originality and skill of his school, two years after its opening in Paris. At 42, students have no teachers. They computing progress over the implementation of projects in collaboration with their peers. All are supervised by a teaching team. Students are selected before school through an online exam and a “pool”, the name given to a period of one month during which applicants are judged on practical work. The school, which lasts from 2 to 5 years, is free.

“Our project has always had a social aspect, but it is even more important in the US,” said Xavier Niel. Student loans accounted for nearly $ 1.16 billion in 2014, according to estimates from the Federal Reserve of New York, cited by 42. This represents 6.6% of US GDP. In addition to free tuition, 42 will provide housing for more than 300 students on its California campus. This is Xavier Niel who supports the project cost.

With this new adventure, wants to recruit 42 students directly in Silicon Valley. “It is easier to build strong relationships with these companies when we have a school just next to it,” says Xavier Niel. The new facility will also accommodate a few years the Parisian students wishing to study abroad. Over 2,500 students are currently attending 42 in Paris. California, Xavier Niel hopes to train up to 10 000 people. It is not the only French to want to learn about computers to Americans. Early 2016, three expatriates (former Epitech school and 42) also launched a school of a new genre, the Holberton School, California. The first class of 42 American version will make it his return from the month of November.