More Engineers Top Business Ranks

A new working paper out of Harvard Business School reports that engineers are more likely to be amongst companies’ top ranks than MBAs. An analysis of more than 300 Fortune 500 companies found that generic positions such as “chief operating officer” are being replaced by function-specific leadership positions such as technology or marketing chiefs. More engineers and technology professionals are also becoming entrepreneurs. A new study examining 36 million Facebook profiles found that of 4,353 CEOs across all industries, approximately three quarters possessed an advanced degree in engineering, while only one quarter possessed an advanced degree in business.