This billionaire CEO says not getting an MBA was a ‘really good thing’

An American billionaire CEO has recently shared that skipping business school was one of the best decisions she ever made. Despite not having an MBA, Judy Faulkner founded software firm Epic Systems in her basement; it generates an estimated $5.7 billion in annual revenue. The 82-year-old herself is worth $7.8 billion.

“I never got an MBA, which I think is a really good thing,” Faulkner told CNBC. "They would have taught me, ‘Here’s how you do venture capital.’ We didn’t do it. ‘Here’s how you go public.’ We didn’t do it. ‘Here’s how you do budgets.’ We don’t have budgets. We say, ‘If you need it, buy it. If you don’t need it, don’t buy it.’”

Unlike Apple CEO Tim Cook or GM’s Mary Barra—both MBA graduates—Faulkner charted her own path, guided by a set of 10 business “commandments” that include: “Do not go public,” “Do not acquire or be acquired,” and “Software must work.” These principles are emblazoned across Epic’s sprawling 1,670-acre campus. The company now powers many of the top hospitals in the US, Fortune reported.

Faulkner’s views echo a growing chorus of skepticism among top global business leaders. World's richest person Elon Musk has criticised the “MBA-ization of America,” while Shark Tank's Mark Cuban calls MBAs “overrated.” PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel avoids hiring MBA grads, describing them as “high extrovert/low conviction people.”