How & Why many CEOs are Engineers?

How many CEOs are engineers?
For those who aspire to one day be the chief executive officer of a company, getting an MBA - a business administration disability - used to be the way to go. But that is no longer true.
The Harvard Business Review publishes an annual list of the 100 best-performing CEOs. In 2018, for the second year in a row, they found that more CEOs had engineering degrees than MBAs. Some CEOs have both degrees.
Today, many of the heads of some of the most successful companies in the world have one thing in common. They are engineers.
Why are there so many CEOs engineers?
00:42 Elon Musk
Elon Musk went as far as to say, “I think there may be too many MBAs running companies” in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. He argues that business degree holders spend too much time in board meetings discussing power and finance when they should be focused on the product.
“I have never seen a CEO or a president know more about the product,” he said.
He's an engineer, he's proven it with his successes.
02:00 James Dyson
James Dyson, a British engineer. He spent 15 years tinkering with over 5000 different models of vacuum cleaners to create a better vacuum cleaner. His reward is a multi-billion dollar company that bears his name. Dyson’s success owes much to James Dyson’s devotion to perfect every details of his products and his company.
4:00 Jeff Bezos
Engineers aren't afraid to get involved in the day-to-day business - especially when it comes to recruiting.
Amazon's Jeff Bezos has a degree in electrical engineering and a passion for computer science. Amazon is known for its tough interviews. Jeff Bezos met every candidate in the early days of Amazon.
He would ask odd questions like “How many gas stations are there in America?” He's not after the right answer but wants to see if the candidate has the analytical method to give a valid answer.
He once said setting high standards for hiring is the single most important factor for an online retailer's success.
4:30 Jeffrey Sprecher
It's no surprise that engineers who have risen to the top of the technology industry have seen explosive growth over the years. But they are also doing well for non-tech companies.
Like Jeffrey Sprecher, CEO of the holding company that owns the New York Stock Exchange. He has a degree in chemical engineering. He said, “I've never had a chemistry-related job, but the disciplines I went through there taught me about problem-solving and business, that's really all.”
Engineers are great at solving problems and that's the key to getting things done. If you are inspired to become an engineer or simply want to learn more about the world, a good background in math and computer science is important.