Mario Ho Clarifies MIT Education

Among late billionaire Stanley Ho’s (何鴻燊) 17 children, Mario Ho (何猷君) stood out for his good looks, elite education, and career successes. Serving as the chairman and co-CEO of the eSports company NIP Group, Mario set records for becoming the youngest founder of a NASDAQ-listed company in Asia.

Mario is also touted as a math whiz. Graduating with an undergraduate degree in just three years from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he was admitted to MIT’s graduate finance program.

During a recent interview, Mario clarified that while he did get admitted to the MIT program, he did not complete his studies to earn a master’s degree. Addressing the rumors about netizens questioning his academic qualifications, Mario clarified, “I am often alleged to be the youngest master’s student in finance at MIT on the Internet. This is actually incorrect. I am the youngest student (at age 21) to be admitted into the finance master program. I passed the exam for admittance, but I didn’t end up going.”

Mario explained the reasoning as to while he declined attending MIT’s graduate program. “I admire those who dropped out of school and become successful in their twenties. I graduated from college a year early, so I completed all my program courses already. I had free time, so my mother argued, ‘Why don’t you finish the fourth year and continue on to earn a master’s degree? Is there a reason why you’re trying to leave early?”

“My mother thought I couldn’t get admitted to the master’s program. In an attempt to prove her wrong, I was motivated to take the exam. When I passed, I showed her my admittance letter. She was really happy. But after I got admitted, I didn’t pursue further education. Instead, I wanted to start my own business. I wanted to follow Mark Zuckerberg’s path. I wanted to become an entrepreneur in my twenties,” Mario revealed.