Who is Avi Schiffmann, creator of NCOV 2019, and why he turned down an $8 million offer?

While a number of high school students continue to spend hours watching their favourite TV series or playing video games during their self-isolation, one 17-year-old teenager named Avi Schiffmann has built a website that tracks and compiles numbers on the global spread of the coronavirus pandemic from several reliable news sources and government websites.

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Who is Avi Schiffmann?

As mentioned on Avi Schiffmann's Linkedin profile, he is currently a high school student from Mercer Island, just outside Seattle. He is currently pursuing Computer Science and has worked on various projects over the past two years. This includes an internship with Healing Arts Productions, working as a freelance 3D artist, running an online student-run magazine organization and being an online tutor on YouTube.

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Avi Schiffmann website

His latest endeavour is to make his coronavirus tracking website the best place for information on coronavirus. He launched the website back in December when the disease was hardly even acknowledged as the outbreak was predominantly relegated to mainland China.

His website URL is ncov2019.live which has become one of the most vital resources for people around the world seeking authentic and updated data on the pandemic. The website has since been able to garner over 100 million visitors. Rex Chapman has posted a video from Bloomberg’s QuickTake series which showcases Schiffmann's amazing efforts. Take a look here:

 

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Avi Schiffmann turns down $8 million for fertile ad space on his website

As noted in the tweet above, Avi Schiffmann was reportedly offered as high as $8 million from businesses for ad space on the portal, given the massive amount of traffic that it attracts on a daily basis. However, the 17-year old had no interest in making a fortune off such an endeavour.

He was reportedly quoted saying that it's quite easier for him to turn down offers like that simply because he does not care that much about making so much money. He clarified saying that he will consider it when he turns an adult, and not when he is just 17.

A number of users online have even scoffed at his decision to turn down such an outrageous offer, calling him 'naive or plain stupid', while others applauded him for his decision.

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Image credits: Avi Schiffmann | Instagram