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As a recent MBA grad of one of the schools listed in the article I would like to note a few things: First, Amazon is 3x the size of any of the tech companies i
by robterrin 9y ago
As a recent MBA grad of one of the schools listed in the article I would like to note a few things:
First, Amazon is 3x the size of any of the tech companies it is compared to. Google actually hires more MBA's per capita and Amazon hires about as many as Apple and Microsoft, per capita.
Second, I keep a close eye on these things, and 72% of my class went to finance or consulting. Consulting is still the biggest draw and has been since the financial crisis.
Third, this is good news for tech. See the HBS Indicator for more on why: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/harvardmba_indicator.asp http://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/harvardmba_indicator.asp I'm not going to defend or bash the MBA degree. It doesn't say much about you except that you are a competent professional that likes money and can play the game. Those traits are often enough to make an employee worth their salary, but many MBAs have additional skills, analytical or otherwise. Sometimes it means you hire somebody a little too slick. This is probably why tech has such a phobia of the MBA. Fair, but overgeneralizing, in my opinion.
Finally, I think the reason you see more MBAs in tech these days isn't necessarily Bezos' finance background or the need for analytics, but that tech companies are maturing and they need middle managers. MBAs tend to be predictable worker bees that do a great job at filling out the ranks of a large bureaucracy. Most business is really about project planning, reporting, managing expectations, coordinating teams and delivering on time. It's not terribly rewarding or creative work, but it's what MBAs can reliably produce.
*edited typo in last paragraph
- sharkweek 9y agoI'm not an MBA and don't really have the intention to get one - so pardon my naive question, but what does it mean to "play the game?"
- robterrin 9y agoI think it is a vague idiom by intent, but here's one definition: "To behave in a way that is accepted or demanded by those in authority"(http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/play+the+game http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/play+the+game) I view this skill as anticipating not just what your boss tells you to do, but also the things they don't make explicit, because you recognize subtle social cues and understand their incentives. It can be nefarious or just empathetic. How it is deployed determines the morality of its use, in my consequentialist opinion.
- aslkdjaslkdj 9y agoHis last sentence mostly. "project planning, reporting, managing expectations, coordinating teams and delivering on time. It's not terribly rewarding or creative work, but it's what MBAs can reliably produce." Aka stakeholder and expectation management. The above sounds easy but requires a large number of "soft skills" to do well in a large organization.
- downrightmike 9y agoThe game is do good work, get good schooling, perform well taking care of some one else's business and make money. What's the goal? Money through value creation.
- albertgoeswoof 9y agoThe corporate game. Wear a suit (or dress appropriately for the situation), turn up to meetings on time with an agenda, manage teams, hit deadlines, send well crafted emails, give feedback, communicate effectively, lead people, turn up everyday and be consistent, grow
- southphillyman 9y agoObtaining proper credentialing, networking, being able to work long hours under pressure, and articulating what clients want to hear via impressive power point presentations and spreadsheets.