NEW YORK—Though today he holds a powerful position as head of a leading information technology firm, MergeMedia CEO Gary Lightman told reporters Thursday he, amazingly, worked his way to the very top of the company from humble beginnings as the son of the previous CEO. “A lot of people are surprised when I tell them I started out as a lowly senior vice president right out of college, but it’s true,” said Lightman, 37, who stressed that he had to work every angle to get to where he is today, including being born to the head of the company, being raised by the head of the company, going to the same prestigious business school as the head of company on a legacy scholarship, and being hired at age 22 for a management-level position by the head of the company. “Believe me, I had to sit through a lot of board meetings to get where I am today. If you’d asked me a few years ago if I’d one day be CEO of my dad’s company, I would have said, absolutely not this soon. I thought for sure I’d have to spend a year or two as COO before I made it to the top.” Lightman added that he plans to hold on to his current job until MergeMedia can no longer afford to pay his seven-figure salary, at which point he looks forward to transitioning into retirement.