Syed Ahmad Fathi was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He received his Bachelor Degree in Marine Engineering from State Marine Technical University St. Petersburg, Russia in 2013. He was awarded an Advance Diploma in Ship Operation and Management from the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, UK in 2017 and was accepted as a professional member with the institute in 2020. In 2022, he pursued Master of Art with Universiti Sains Malaysia majoring in Southeast Asian History.

He has written multiple non-fiction books on social issues, economy, politics, history and philosophy. His book titled Berfikir Tentang Pemikiran (2018) was listed in the 50 Best Malaysian Titles for International Rights 2020/21 by The National Book Council of Malaysia. His other books includes Lalang di Lautan Ideologi (2022) and Dua Sayap Ilmu (2023). Fathi often featured in Kultura Podcast where he discussed contemporary issues. He currently served as chief editor for the online portal The Independent Insight.