Are MBA degrees, IT certifications relevant in age of AI? HR manager's post ignites debate

artificial intelligence (AI) and technology-driven skills are in high demand.

The Changing Role of the MBA

Raghunath argues that the MBA, originally introduced in 1908 as a «Master of Administration,» was designed to prepare individuals for general management roles at a time when industries needed desk managers rather than leaders. Over time, she claims, the program evolved into an expensive qualification that fails to add significant value unless the individual possesses a high IQ or exceptional creativity.

“Harvard came up with an idea to qualify those with no real qualities — who can do general management of anything,” she wrote, criticizing the generic nature of MBA programs. She further likened the evolution of MBA courses to a simple dish being rebranded into a premium product: “boring khichdi” marketed as “Chicken Biryani, Mughlai, Dalcha, and Dindigul.” Despite their rising costs, she believes that without a natural intellect, MBAs are nothing more than «toilet paper.»

Her most critical remarks were directed at MBA graduates in HR, arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the inefficiencies of these professionals. “If an MBA could not inject common sense and natural intellect during the world’s worst time — pandemic — it has failed,” she wrote. According to her, HR professionals failed to critically assess pandemic-related decisions, such as mandating vaccines without understanding their scientific implications.

The Rise of Intellectual Diversity

According to Raghunath, as AI transforms industries,