Reactions

Letters to the editor Challenges for PhDs becoming CEOs I was extremely interested in reviewing “The Path from PhD to CEO” (Aug. 12/19, 2024, page 28). I am a chemical engineering consultant and work extensively with start-ups in this category as an entrepreneur in residence with Columbia University Ventures, Cleantech Open, Scale for ClimateTech, etc. The PhD-to-CEO idea is a recent development. When I received my PhD in chemical engineering in the mid-1970s, my colleagues and I headed for industrial jobs or academia. Starting a new company based on a thesis was just not an option. I believe that this PhD-entrepreneur route is based on several factors: US industry has abandoned its role as a research resource under the pernicious influence of Milton Friedman and the Chicago school of economics (stock price and shareholders above all). Industry now depends on grad schools to do basic research. Graduate schools are turning