Ask YC: MBeA or to not be - is an MBA worth a hacker's time?

I know this is a heavily hacker infested place (it's a good thing :) but, I've been asking this question to many hackers with MBAs and I get different answers all the time. I have come to the conclusion that an MBA curriculum is not as worthy as other technical knowledge, but the networking is worth it, especially if it's a top tier school. Bonus question: which MBA program would is worthy of a hacker's time, i.e. geek friendly :) Any worthy opinions?

(How I jumped to the conclusion: read a gazillion different materials from Andreessen to Bezos to bozos, became a research assistant at a top business school to see what the heck professors really think about the curriculum, and of course, talked to a few dozen MBAs across the world in different fields)

I'd be too afraid it'd turn me into the kind of person many MBAs are. Work with assholes and you risk becoming an asshole. I learned that in the financial industry the hard way.

I have a slightly skewed perspective, but I spent four years working at a Wall St. firm, and discovered that, while many people in finance have MBAs, the best frequently do not. The placement even worked that way: an analyst out of college gets a two-year contract in banking or trading, then the bank makes a decision. The chaff gets thrown away, the mid-range is sent to an MBA program and returns at the associate level, but the best stay on for a third year as analysts and then immediately become associates.

This doesn't address the question very well, I suppose, and obviously people outside of finance get MBAs. I feel that, at the end of the day, an MBA program is what you make of it. It can be a valuable networking opportunity. It can be two years off from working full-time. If you're thinking of going into it to learn about derivatives and accounting, then I suspect you're better off learning it on your own.

I've heard you either startup or go to business school. Either way, both are similar. Personally i'd choose starting_up.

It goes back to the specialist vs. generalist question. An MBA experience will help you become more of a generalist, you will interact with people who are different from you and solve problems differently. It will also open up career options you may not have today, hedge funds, investment banks, consulting - some of which are intellectually interesting and pay well. Even if you decide to do a startup later, you will have friends working at VCs & operating companies that you can get help from.

If on the other hand you have decided that you want to live the rest of your life as a hacker, maybe it is not such a good idea. In any case, don't consider schools beyond the top 5 (Stanford, Harvard, Wharton, Chicago and maybe MIT).