I expect they will have more to say tomorrow, but Ahmed's sister asked me to share this photo. A NASA shirt! pic.twitter.com/nR4gt992gB
— Anil Dash (@anildash) September 16, 2015
As everyone reading the internet knows by now, Ahmed Mohamed is the adorable 14-year-old Muslim nerd boy who brought his homemade clock to his new Texas high school to impress his teachers, only to be arrested because — when looked at through the lens of Islamophobia — it resembled a bomb.
“I have lost my innocence. I can never look at the world in the same way,” the teenager who is currently suspended from school told The Independent. “I like science, but I look like a threat because of my brown skin.”
Now with a viral hashtag behind him, there are many who #StandWithAhmed, including impressed members of the Silicon Valley tech community. You know how thirsty companies can be for young talent. Writes Mark Zuckerberg to his Facebook wall:
You’ve probably seen the story about Ahmed, the 14 year old student in Texas who built a clock and was arrested when he took it to school. Having the skill and ambition to build something cool should lead to applause, not arrest. The future belongs to people like Ahmed. Ahmed, if you ever want to come by Facebook, I'd love to meet you. Keep building.
But should the young engineer accept Google's offer instead?
Hey Ahmed- we're saving a seat for you at this weekend's Google Science Fair...want to come? Bring your clock! #IStandwithAhmed
— Google Science Fair (@googlescifair) September 16, 2015
Even enterprise software company Box wanted in on the action.
Ahmed, I know you've been invited to the White House and Facebook. But, we both know you're enterprise software guy at heart. Come by Box!
— Aaron Levie (@levie) September 16, 2015
Well, Ahmed, see you in San Francisco, if you decide to visit us and not the White House.
Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It's what makes America great.
— President Obama (@POTUS) September 16, 2015