Internet Finds MIT Professor’s Nobel Prize Win Post ‘Too Funny’. Here’s Why

The 2024 Nobel Prize in economics was recently announced and it was awarded to US-based professors, Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A Robinson. The three experts were honoured “for studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity.” In an unexpected twist, Acemoglu announced this achievement by sharing an article of Pune News, which took many by surprise. The economist, born in Turkey and a professor at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), chose to share the news through this lesser-known platform. His choice sparked amusement and curiosity among users on X.

Many commented that he could have selected a more reputable international news outlet for such an announcement, but instead picked a Pune-based source. A social media user wrote, “Of all possible sources, he chose Pune News?” Meanwhile, sharing the achievement, Acemoglu noted, “I am deeply honoured to have been awarded the Nobel Prize in economics for 2024, together with my friends and colleagues Simon Johnson and James Robinson.”

Reacting to the post, a user wrote, “Give their SEO team a raise.”

Another shared, “This is too funny.”

“Don’t underestimate the power of Pune news,” a comment read.

Another joked, “Wait, I hope the MIT he works in is Massachusetts & not Maharashtra Institute of Technology. Because this is quite funny.”

An individual shared, “Lmfao exactly what I was looking for is either he loves Pune or the SEO game of Pune news is top notch.”

Since the post was shared on X, it has garnered over 1 lakh views.

Speaking with Nobel Prize website, Daron Acemoglu explained his research, “Once I started looking at the data and reading what other social scientists were already working on in the 1990’s, as I was finishing my dissertation at the LSE, I just got so interested in these topics because, if a country is 50% richer than another one, you might say, well, perhaps that’s natural. They have some resources or some other advantages. But there’s nothing natural about 30, 40, 50 fold differences in income per capita in a globalised, connected world.”

The professor mentioned that while someone can imagine winning such an award, it’s not something you really expect to happen. For Acemoglu, it’s a surprising and amazing experience. He highlighted that receiving the honour feels truly special.