Part 2/9:
A Life Built on Logic and Mathematics
From an early age, Simons recognized the significance of wealth; he once said, “Jim understood at an early age that money is power.” Despite early encouragement to pursue a more conventional career in medicine, he remained steadfast in his passion for mathematics.
His academic journey saw him at prestigious institutions like MIT and Harvard, and his mathematical prowess even aided U.S. intelligence during the Cold War. However, academia left him wanting more, which led him to contemplate a shift to finance.