How about the rest of Afghanistan? Was there a lot of adoption of crypto?
It was hard to tell, but we had thousands of users. But many of Afghans have no clue how to purchase cryptocurrency and don’t have bank accounts. They don't have credit cards or debit cards.

In August of 2021, did you have any premonition that things were going to go so badly with the US pullout?
What happened in Afghanistan was shocking for all of us. We really trusted our government, we trusted our army, and we trusted in the United States as our ally. We trusted that NATO was there and we thought that maybe, at worst, there would be a joint government with the Taliban. We were told that all of these talks were happening to make sure that things would be stable.

Were you there?
I was there in June. It was really perfect. We could go to coffee shops until 11:00 pm and it was very relaxed and we could go driving in the streets. Lots of things had been changed for the better and I could see that the younger generation wanted us to become more modern. There were parties and people eating out. They were using Snapchat and Instagram and Tiktok. Life was absolutely getting very fast in the bigger cities. We were aware that there was war going on in the rural areas, but it was peaceful in the city. We were still building schools in the country and were even supposed to build this factory of robotics there with Yale.

But then it started to change. Before Herat collapsed, I thought it wise to take my teams out. They were part of the first global competitions and we thought that those kids who had been in the media would feel insecure in the country. We brought them to Kabul a few days before the final collapse, and we tried to get them visas. But most countries stopped giving visas. They said it was because of coronavirus. I also had my team in Kabul, and heard that we could get visas for the Maldives. We purchased tickets, we got a hotel in the Maldives, which was very expensive, and we asked the team to be ready to go. At 2:00 am, we woke them up and asked them to go get COVID tests. Then they left at 7.00 am for the airport. At 10:00 am, they called me and they said there were Taliban in the street. We said, don’t pay attention and just go to the airport. At this point, I was very concerned and decided not to watch any news or social media. I would just focus on the team and hope that they could get to the airport. I was not going to read anything because it was already very depressing.

Were you in touch with your parents?
Yes, but they were in a tough spot. Historically, when the government changes overnight in Afghanistan, the most vulnerable people are the women and young girls, and my parents were with 10 teenage girls.

Did they make it to the airport?
Yes, but it was too late. My parents got to the airport with the girls right when I got a text saying the president had fled the country. We thought he was a real leader and would face the extremists, but he fled. Right behind him were all the powerful people in the country, people I knew.

The flights were then all cancelled because the Taliban was in the city and everybody had this fear that they would come to the airport and kill everybody. They still couldn’t believe that with American soldiers at the airport they were able to sweep in. People rushed down there and there was total chaos. There were many people fighting and beating each other, and my father was the only male with all these girls. They decided to go back to the house because it was clearly not safe.

How did they get out?
We requested help from the Qatar government during the early days of the crisis and they responded fast. They ultimately helped them to be evacuated on time. We are thankful to them for being our most supportive ally and eventual host throughout the entire journey.

But even once they were evacuated, there were so many other people that we knew who were my friends, colleagues, and family members of students who were panicked and trying to leave. I was receiving dozens of texts every day. Hundreds of texts.

How did you deal with that?
I mean, at that time, you want to help everybody because you are lucky to be in a safe place. Right? We were constantly calling and texting and trying to find ways out. I received so many texts and calls from my American friends, people in Europe, all my friends all over. They reached out to me to see how they could help, and I really appreciated it and was overwhelmed with all the people who wanted to help. They sent me the forms for evacuations. The people from the State Department were very helpful, and my friends and donors would reach out and say they were going to help. Many collaborated, and we are thankful for everyone who helped us during this hard time.

And what will the girls do now?
The girls in Doha have received a scholarship to finish their high school and possibly university. They may settle either in Qatar or the US, or other countries. They have a passion for STEM education and many want to start a career in technology.

What happened to your projects in Afghanistan? What about the schools?
We are trying to find a way to re-open our centres in Afghanistan to provide the STEM/Innovation education for young women directly, and we have had some progress on this matter. I believe that collectively we can advance the safety and empowerment of women and girls in Afghanistan in a sustainable way if we make STEM education for girls a priority in discussions with the Taliban.

We are also building a platform where female journalists, bloggers, filmmakers, and artists can share their voice and tell stories of the social and economic situation, as well as the benefits of STEM education. They would get paid in bitcoin or cryptocurrency.

Were your crypto accounts safe?
Yes, thankfully, because the Taliban froze my bank account. I have lots of friends who did very well in Afghanistan. They had power, they had names, they had beautiful houses and farms, expensive cars, horses, bodyguards. But when they left in the evacuation, they only left with one small bag for their clothes. They couldn't take anything out and they lost everything, all of their wealth. I remember that a few months ago I talked to one of them who was at the time a very powerful person. I said, “Hey, why don't you invest in cryptocurrency?” He said that he was sceptical and he didn't believe in something that is not physical. There are thousands of people like this. If they had put their money outside Afghanistan they would have something now. But they lost it all, the houses and the cars and the horses. They thought it was just gambling.

What about the future?
We worked all these years turning Afghanistan into a country with high technology, and we were able to change the old rules. The people fleeing today are not just escaping poverty and starvation. These people are human rights activists, educators, intellectuals, and women’s rights advocates who have had the highest hopes for their nation. They are the very soul of Afghanistan. The saddest part of these evacuations is that this soul has been sent into exile. We will come back someday, but this time stronger.