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Notable Achievements at Age 34
Birth of twins (son and daughter)
Simon and Marco Maestri announced the birth of their twins on April 22, 2024.
End of 'SYMONE' and premiere of 'The Weekend'
'SYMONE' ended on Jan 7, 2024; 'The Weekend' premiered the same day with co-hosts Alicia Menendez and Michael Steele.
Married Cliff Obrecht (Rottnest Island)
Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht were married in January 2021 on Rottnest Island.
Won 3 Primetime Emmy Awards for Fleabag (2019)
At the 2019 Emmys she won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Comedy Series.
GitHub acquired by Microsoft
Microsoft announced the acquisition of GitHub for $7.5 billion in cash (June 2018).
Married Serena Williams
Married Serena Williams in New Orleans; notable guests included Beyoncé, Anna Wintour and others.
Premiered All In with Chris Hayes (prime-time)
All In with Chris Hayes premiered on April 1, 2013, making Hayes (age 34) the youngest host of a prime-time show on major U.S. cable-news channels.
Co‑founded DeepMind
Co‑founded DeepMind Technologies in London with Shane Legg and Mustafa Suleyman, recruiting colleagues including David Silver. Mission: 'solve intelligence' and apply it to real-world problems.
Co-founded Y Combinator (YC) and launched website
Co-founded Y Combinator with Paul Graham, Robert Morris and Trevor Blackwell. Launched YC website in March 2005 inviting applications for the Summer Founders Program.
Earned MPH from Harvard School of Public Health
Completed a Master of Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Birth of daughter Ellen Alley
First child, Ellen, was born (personal milestone noted as growing her heart two sizes).
Earned Master of Divinity (M.Div) from Yale University
Completed a Master of Divinity at Yale Divinity School (degree conferred 1994).
Gödel Prize (first) for 'The knowledge complexity of interactive proof systems'
Co-recipient of the 1993 Gödel Prize for foundational work on interactive proofs and knowledge complexity (zero-knowledge).
Birth of first daughter Elinor 'Ellie' Monahan
Gave birth to first daughter Elinor Tully 'Ellie' Monahan in Washington, D.C.
Married Connie Snyder
Ballmer married Connie Snyder in 1990; the couple later had three sons and have been philanthropic partners.
Blackadder Goes Forth (final regular series)
Blackadder Goes Forth (1989) set in WWI; acclaimed for its poignant finale. Series run completed 1983–1989.
Debut of Late Night with David Letterman (NBC)
Late Night premiered Feb 1, 1982 (first guest Bill Murray). Show aired after The Tonight Show and developed a cult following for its offbeat segments.
Won Booker Prize (Midnight's Children)
Midnight's Children won the Booker Prize, bringing international recognition.
Co-founded Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Formed Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, Katz & Kern (later Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz) with Herbert Wachtell, Leonard Rosen, George Katz and originally Jerome Kern. Firm founded by handshake; no written partnership agreement.
💡 What this means for you
At age 34, you're at a pivotal point where many successful entrepreneurs made their breakthrough. Whether you're building your first company or scaling an existing one, these examples show what's possible with focus and execution.
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