P&Q’s Must Reads: The Harvard Business School Prof Who Acted Like A Jerk & Lost Tenure

Hello everyone  — Welcome back to Poets&Quants’ Must Reads, a quick, digestible recap of the top business school news, sponsored by CentreCourt, P&Q’s virtual admission events.

I’m your host, Kristy Bleizeffer, and I’ll be highlighting the most important P&Q stories you might have missed. So, let’s get to it. 

No. 1: The Harvard Business School Prof Who Acted Like A Jerk & Lost Tenure

It started in 2014 as a $4 overcharge on a Harvard Business School professor’s takeout order of spicy chicken. It’s ending with a lawsuit against the storied business school. 

Former HBS Professor Ben Edelman filed a civil lawsuit last week against his former employer after failing to get tenure at the school in 2017. 

Confused? Here’s the back story. The stink Edelman made over his spicy chicken order overcharge went viral – shocker – and publicly revealed aspects of his prickly personality he’d allegedly been getting away with for years.  Three years later,  HBS denied him tenure, for reasons that remain confidential – as tenure decisions almost always are.

You really do have to read the entire eight-year saga to believe it. Regarded by colleagues as a “freaking genius,” it’s very likely that Edelman, in this case, is too smart for his own good.

Read the full commentary, and all the back stories, in our news tab.

No. 2: Ten Biggest Surprises In The Financial Times 2023 MBA Ranking

After The Financial Times crowned a new winner to its annual ranking Global MBA ranking – shout out Columbia Business School – we’ve poured through the data for some in-depth analysis you can only get at Poets&Quants.

First, don’t miss our 10 Biggest Surprises in the FT Ranking. From methodology changes, the mysterious case of the missing Wharton, and huge ranking swings (good and bad) for a lot of schools, there’s a lot to unpack – and John Byrne and Jeff Schmitt unpacked it.

Next, John reveals how the best Indian Business Schools fared in the FT ranking. In two words: pretty good.

For the first time ever, a half dozen Indian B-schools have made the Global MBA Ranking. That’s two more than the four on last year’s list, and four more than appeared a decade ago. Read the story to find out the reasons behind the rise.

You can find both stories in our trending tab. 

No. 3: From Middle School Dropout To Stanford MBA

For most, dropping out of grade school would be an insurmountable barrier. But since starting his own business shortly after dropping out at 14, Yegor Blanch’s life has been a series of extraordinary adventures — of challenges overcome and milestones attained.

Though he never got a high school degree, he graduated in the top 1% of his class from a top-10 U.S. undergraduate business program. Though he had no math or English education, he scored in the 99th percentile on the Graduate Management Admission Test. And though he lacked a certain pedigree in his work experience, he used it to earn admission to six of the most elite business schools on the planet, including Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Between all of that, Blanch competed as a weightlifter in Olympic trials and national tournaments, traveled the globe, and was an eyewitness to history.

Read about his incredible journey now, on our homepage.

No. 4: Our Weekly Round Up of  News You Can Use

No matter where you are in your MBA journey, we bring several helpful stories for you this week.

First up: Wharton’s round two interview invitations are out, and our friends at Fortuna Admissions have some amazing tips in dealing with Wharton’s intimidating team-based interviews. Read, Who Are You In A Wharton Team Based Discussion?, now in our admissions tab. 

Next: If you’re wondering what effect a possible recession might have on business schools and your MBA dreams, be sure to read The Recession MBA: What To Know, on our homepage.

Finally: Finally, ChatGPT is going to change the MBA recruitment game. These professors tell you how. The story is up now on our homepage.

And, that’s it for this week’s Must Reads recap. 

I also want to alert anyone considering a graduate business master’s degree to CentreCourt’s upcoming Specialized Masters admissions event. In these virtual panels, you’ll get to explore Masters in Management, Finance, Business Analytics and other specialized business degrees to help determine which degree is right for you. Our next event is March 14 and 15, and you can register now for free.

Again, I’m Kristy Bleizeffer, and you can join me next week, right here, for a recap of what’s important in the world of business education. Thanks for listening and, as always, stay informed!

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.