Bill Gates does not have an MBA, nor does he hold a bachelor's degree. He famously dropped out of Harvard University to co-found Microsoft. While he lacks formal business education, he received an honorary doctorate from Harvard in 2007, more than 30 years after leaving.
Not all CEOs have MBAs. Some, like Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg, don't even have BAs. Steve Jobs famously said during his 2005 Stanford commencement speech that, “dropping out of college was one of the best decisions I ever made.” But, then there are CEOs like Tim Cook, Warren Buffett, and Barbara J.
Entrepreneurs Without MBAs: Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg.
Jeff Bezos holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Princeton University and has transformed Amazon from an online bookstore into a global e-commerce and technology giant, outpacing competitors, and becoming an e-commerce leader.
The average MBA salary for MBB consultants starts at around $190,000, and earning potential only increases. After 10 years, an MBA in the role of senior partner at a firm like BCG can expect to earn between $500,000-$700,000 per year.
#1 Elon Musk
He has an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. He was born in Pretoria, South Africa, and thereafter moved to the United States. There, his ground-breaking career has skyrocketed. Elon Musk is universally known as a business magnate, engineer, inventor, and venture capitalist.
Jeff Bezos's 1-Hour Rule is a morning routine focused on avoiding screens (phones, laptops) for the first hour of the day, allowing for slow, deliberate activities like reading, having coffee, exercising, or spending time with family, which he claims enhances focus, energy, and decision-making, a practice supported by neuroscience for promoting clearer thinking and reducing digital fatigue.
Mark Cuban holds a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in management from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, graduating in 1981, after transferring from the University of Pittsburgh. He chose IU for its affordable business program, and while he took MBA classes there, he never completed an MBA degree, instead focusing on building his businesses like MicroSolutions and Broadcast.com.
In the fall of 1973, Bush entered Harvard Business School. He graduated in 1975 with a M.B.A. degree, and is the only U.S. president to have earned the degree.
Googlers call Zuckerberg's approach the 80 percent rule
She calls this idea the 80 percent rule. It states you should schedule only about 80 percent of your days. Leave 20 percent open to absorb whatever craziness comes up.
Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to pursue his software company, although he states “if things hadn't worked out, I could always go back to school. I was officially on leave.” Matt Damon was a member of Harvard's Delphic final club.
The highest-ranking MBA is Michael Bloomberg at number nine: the founder, CEO, and owner of tech giant Bloomberg LP.
Born in Hyderabad, India, in 1967, Nadella pursued his education in electrical engineering at the Manipal Institute of Technology and later earned a master's degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, as well as an MBA from the University of Chicago.
The 7-8-9 rule for time management is a guideline for a balanced 24-hour day: 7 hours for focused work/study, 8 hours for sleep, and 9 hours for personal time, covering rest, hobbies, family, and self-care, to prevent burnout and enhance overall well-being. It's a flexible framework, not strict scheduling, emphasizing balance across professional, personal, and rest categories for better focus and reduced stress, with some variations suggesting 8 hours for work and 7-9 hours for sleep/personal time.
Musk wakes up around 9 a.m. and says he starts every morning with steak and eggs. Musk told The Wall Street Journal in 2023 that he usually goes to bed around 3 a.m. and sleeps for six hours. So, he's typically waking up around 9 a.m. each day.
He entered Princeton University planning to study physics, but soon returned to his love of computers, and graduated with a degree in computer science and electrical engineering. After graduation, Jeff Bezos found employment on Wall Street, where computer science was increasingly in demand to study market trends.
Top US MBA Programs