A candid exchange between Nikhil Kamath and a student at Columbia Business School has caught attention online, reviving the debate around the value of an MBA.
Kamath, who was speaking at the India Business Conference hosted by the institution, was questioned by a student, identified as Anaheez Patel, over his earlier remarks criticising MBA degrees. “A few months ago, you said if you are 25 and getting your MBA, you must be some kind of idiot,” the student said, adding that many in the audience were business students and were curious about his presence at a business school event despite such views.
Before she could finish, Kamath interjected, asking, “Were you the one who posted online?” When she confirmed, he replied, “I saw that video.” The student responded, “I’m glad the algorithm did its work, and it reached you,” before pressing further, asking why he chose to attend the event if he did not see value in business school education.
Responding with a mix of humour and candour, Kamath said, “300 grand for your MBA course. So this room, if it has 500 people here, you have spent $90 million to be in this room. I hope knowing the rich kids of India of tomorrow has some value to me in the future. Hence, I’m here.”
The remark drew laughter and cheers from the audience, with the exchange turning into a light-hearted moment during the session. Patel shared a clip of the interaction on Instagram, writing that Kamath was a “chill guy” and that the “banter was pretty solid”.
“PS: he did deliver an incredible speech and the banter was pretty solid. He also did agree that he would consider advocating for an MBA for the access. A partial win? Allll in good spirit,” she wrote in the caption of the post.
Watch the video below:
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Social media reactions
Reacting to the exchange, one user wrote, “Life has a funny way of coming full circle! Loved how articulate your question was @anaheezpatel.”
“This is brilliant!!!!!” commented another, while another said, “Omg, I’m screaming Anaheez! That was a whole new level of full circle.”
“Good, bold, well timed question.. this was really fun to watch,” expressed one user.
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What did Nikhil Kamath say about MBA students?
Notably, the interaction comes months after Kamath sparked a heated online debate with his comments during an AMA session at Zerodha. At the time, he said, “If you are 25 and going to an MBA college today, you must be some kind of an idiot,” arguing that traditional education models may lose relevance amid changing job markets.
His statement had drawn mixed reactions, with some calling it dismissive and others agreeing that the role of an MBA is evolving.
