Nineteen-year-old Schreiber alumnus and brother of senior Ashley Meyer and sophomore Victoria Meyer, John Meyer, recently dropped out of college at New York University and turned down a job opportunity at Apple Company Inc., to work on his own company, Fresco News, full time.
Meyer’s interest in programming began during his freshman year at Schreiber when he started coding apps. However, it was not until the following year that he began earning money for the applications. The app that started it all, Just Light, provides smart phone users with access to a flashlight on their phone. As of Oct. 2014, the app has been downloaded over 2 million times. Despite a recent decline in popularity because of the flashlight now included in the new iPhone software, the number of Just Light downloads continues to increase. These results have catapulted Meyer into the world of business and have kickstarted the alumnus’ financial future.
“Money-wise, I’ve been pretty fortunate,” said Meyer during an interview with Business Insider. “I’ve been able to support myself since just a year after I got started.”
As a freshman in college, Meyer was making enough money to live alone and pay for his college tuition. His choice to leave NYU was not a spur of the moment decision, however, and involved several months of thought. According to Meyer, he finally decided to leave the school he adored and respected after realizing that he did not need a college education to be successful at what he does best: app making.
“Even before I entered NYU, I knew that a degree wouldn’t be worth that much,” said Meyer to Jordan Taylor of Betabeat.
Although originally his mother, a professor at NYU, and his father were dissatisfied with Meyers choice, the two parents have come to terms with the situation and now fully support the young entrepreneur.
Currently, Meyer is fixed on making Fresco into a money maker. He is also working on creating two other companies. One of the companies, on which he has teamed up with former colleagues from NYU, will make it possible for people to travel the world for as little as $30 per night.
The other one will be “a platform that will bridge the gap between university students with skills, and large companies looking to hire top talent,” Meyer told Business Insider.
Although a job at Apple may seem like the opportunity of a lifetime, Meyer is not worried about passing it up.
“I am, at heart, an entrepreneur,” said Meyer in an interview with Julia Bort. “I won’t be happy working for someone else.”
Furthermore, he stated that if he comes to regret his decision, Apple will likely reconsider him as a candidate for internship. Although his future remains undetermined, for now, Meyer is content with his situation. He plans to continue creating apps for both personal entertainment and profit.