The MBA has lost its value as oversupply floods the market. U.S. business schools now graduate 200,000 MBAs annually, up from 20,000 in the 1970s, while companies cut MBA-heavy positions and AI threatens analytical work. Most programs aren't worth $175,000, except elite schools with strong networks.
Getting an MBA used to guarantee you a six-figure job, but these days it's not worth the money for most people. Even Harvard grads are struggling to get hired. Here's why. Let's rewind back to the 1970s. Think bell-bottoms, bad hair, and groovy dance moves. Okay, well, forget disco. Let's talk about business school. In the 1970s, business schools graduated about 20,000 MBAs a year. That made it rare, prestigious, and practically a golden ticket to six-figure jobs. That meant they could charge through the nose, build luxury campuses, and turn MBAs into a flashy status symbol full of, well, elites. So today, Schools in the US alone graduate over 200,000 new MBAs each and every year. That's way more degrees than there are jobs these days. So the competition is brutal. Not to mention companies want leaner teams. Musk and Zuck are saying less is more, and MBAs are first on the chopping block. So why would somebody pay $175,000 for somebody to crunch numbers when maybe AI will do it better soon? Sorry, graduates. That means most MBA programs today aren't worth the money. The exception? If you're in a top-tier program, the business case is still there because only the cream of the crop get hired. And when they do, it comes with a huge salary and potentially a powerful network.
