Hmm that's a good question. Maybe their schools authorized CPT for the student's own companies? https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevis-help-hub/student-reco...

Some random sites claim "CPT does not allow for self-employment. If an F-1 student were to request CPT employment to work at the student’s own business, they must show that their work is controlled by other individuals at the business. The F-1 student cannot have 50% or greater control of the business". Some school's F-1 pages say they won't approve self-employment. I think in practice the school has discretion

Hm yes this is what i assumed, this or OPT. Its a part time role tho there has to be another way

I suspect the rules were more relaxed back then and the school approved it.

I guess he could invest 100k and switch to an E-2 visa

hahaha big ask but yes possible

As a green card holder, you can work at the startup your F1 co-founder has incorporated. I find Afforai to be a great AI-powered tool for F1 students and researchers to manage their literature reviews and citations effectively.