Born in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, in 1991, Alakh Pandey enrolled in Harcourt Butler Technical University, Kanpur, to pursue mechanical engineering but dropped out in his third year. Rather than following a conventional career path, Pandey chose to follow his passion for teaching. In 2016, he launched a YouTube channel called Physics Wallah, aimed at teaching physics for JEE, NEET, and CBSE board examinations. As the channel began to gain more viewership, Pandey also started posting chemistry content.
His down-to-earth, relatable style of teaching instantly connected with millions of students across India who could not afford expensive coaching institutes. By 2024, his channel had gained over 13 million subscribers .
In 2020, Pandey, along with his co-founder Prateek Maheshwari, established Physics Wallah as a company. The app was initially designed for students aspiring to take NEET and JEE and offered courses at an affordable rate. Physics Wallah became a unicorn company in 2022. The company's IPO in late 2025 was a watershed moment. Physics Wallah went public on the Indian exchanges with a ₹3,480 crore (US$410 million) initial public offering in November 2025. Following the successful IPO listing, Pandey's net worth rose to approximately Rs 16,044 crore.
Forbes described Pandey as a "college dropout, who co-founded edtech company PhysicsWallah in 2020 with his business partner." This year, he is ranked 3,332 on the global list with a net worth of over $1 billion . India stood in third position overall in the Forbes 2026 list with 229 billionaires, behind the US with 989 and China (including Hong Kong) with 610.
Pandey's rise has not just been measured in global rankings. According to the Hurun India Rich List 2025, Pandey's wealth surged by an astonishing 223 per cent to ₹14,520 crore, overtaking Shah Rukh Khan, whose net worth stands at ₹12,490 crore.
While Shah Rukh Khan's net worth climbed 71 per cent this year, fuelled by the success of Jawan and Red Chillies Entertainment's growing profits, Pandey's ascent symbolises a new breed of Indian entrepreneur — one whose wealth is built on intellectual capital and social impact rather than traditional industries.
Pandey's meteoric rise mirrors the rapid growth of India's edtech sector. The company narrowed its net loss to Rs 243 crore in FY25 from Rs 1,131 crore the previous year, while total income rose to Rs 2,886 crore from Rs 1,940 crore. From teaching in a small room in Prayagraj to heading a billion-dollar company, Alakh Pandey's journey represents the transformative power of education in the digital age — proving that influence, just like wealth, can come from knowledge as much as from fame.
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