It turns out Google isn't as good as talking to people. If you'd like a confirmation, e-mail a one-line question to him:
"Hi. I'm interested in how elite schools hire people. Would MIT hire someone like you (as you were when you were hired) today?"
(1) Please don't reference this conversation. (2) Please keep it short. Jerry's super-approachable, but MIT professors get a ton of cold-calls. 40 words tops. (3) If you are MIT-affiliated, mention that. You'll be more likely to get a response.
Or if you'd like more background, call him on the phone (yes, those exist) and see if he has time for a chat. He'll always find time to talk to MIT students (current and former), but for others, it depends on how busy he is.
Life skill: Cold-call interesting people. You can learn a lot that way.
"Hi. I'm interested in how elite schools hire people. Would MIT hire someone like you (as you were when you were hired) today?"
(1) Please don't reference this conversation. (2) Please keep it short. Jerry's super-approachable, but MIT professors get a ton of cold-calls. 40 words tops. (3) If you are MIT-affiliated, mention that. You'll be more likely to get a response.
Or if you'd like more background, call him on the phone (yes, those exist) and see if he has time for a chat. He'll always find time to talk to MIT students (current and former), but for others, it depends on how busy he is.
Life skill: Cold-call interesting people. You can learn a lot that way.