Vlad Tenev says creating a new mathematical theory might lead to the creator being remembered for a long time, with students potentially learning and thinking about the work hundreds of years later.

“And I think what appealed to me when I got to grad school was this idea that if you are... if you create a m- a new mathematical theory, you know, may- maybe you'll be remembered for a really long time and, you know, just like kids in school, everyone learns, you know, Gauss and Riemann and all these greats.”

“If you create a theory, maybe kids will be learning and Sort of like thinking about your work hundred, hundreds of years from now.”