From working at her family’s dry cleaner to an $8.2 billion AI deal: Fei-Fei Li’s journey

On Fridays, while other Princeton students headed off for the weekend, Fei-Fei Li would travel to New Jersey to work at her family’s dry-cleaning business.

This week, it was announced that World Labs, the AI company she co-founded, will be acquired by AMD in a stock deal valued at approximately $8.2 billion.

Upon completion of the deal, Li is set to join AMD as a senior vice president and chief scientist, reporting to CEO Lisa Su.

In an interview, Li said she maintained a close relationship with his family after his death.

She also helped establish AI4ALL, an organization focused on expanding access to AI education for young people from underrepresented backgrounds.