My conclusion looking at the executives at multiple large tech companies is that you can get there without a graduate degree but it's much less likely. A Master

My conclusion looking at the executives at multiple large tech companies is that you can get there without a graduate degree but it's much less likely. A Master's is good but an MBA is a better predictor, even for companies that claim it's not a big deal. As an independent contributor or middle manager you're fine without if you have a CS or eng undergraduate degree. It depends a lot on what you have, where you are and where you want to go.