College degrees of the world's 10 most influential tech CEOs

The world’s most powerful tech leaders are often admired not only for their companies but also for their academic journeys.

While some famously dropped out to chase bold ideas that reshaped industries, others completed advanced degrees at top universities.

Here’s a closer look at the educational backgrounds of 10 influential tech CEOs.

1. Bill Gates, Microsoft CEO

Gates enrolled at Harvard University as a pre-law student but left in 1975 to co-found Microsoft.

Though he never completed his degree, Harvard later awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws in 2007.

2. Elon Musk, Tesla CEO

Musk earned dual bachelor’s degrees in physics and economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

He briefly began a PhD in applied physics at Stanford University but dropped out after two days.

3. Larry Ellison, Oracle CEO

Surprisingly, Ellison, who recently surpassed Musk as the world’s richest man, holds no proper university degree.

Initially enrolled as a pre-med student at the University of Illinois, Ellison dropped out during his sophomore year after the death of his adoptive mother.

He also attended the University of Chicago for one semester.

4. Mark Zuckerberg, Meta CEO

Zuckerberg studied psychology and computer science at Harvard before dropping out in his sophomore year to focus on Facebook.

Like Gates, Harvard later honored him with an honorary degree.

5. Jeff Bezos, Amazon co-founder

Bezos graduated from Princeton University with degrees in electrical engineering and computer science. 

His technical training laid the foundation for building Amazon into a global powerhouse.

6. Tim Cook, Apple CEO

Cook holds a B.S. in industrial engineering from Auburn University and an MBA from Duke University, where he graduated as a Fuqua Scholar.

7. Larry Page, Google co-founder

Page earned a B.S. in computer engineering from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in computer science from Stanford, where he met Sergey Brin.

8. Sundar Pichai, Google CEO

Pichai studied metallurgical engineering at IIT Kharagpur, India, followed by an M.S. at Stanford and an MBA from Wharton, where he was named a Palmer Scholar.

9. Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO

Nadella earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology, an M.S. in computer science from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

10. Reed Hastings, Netflix co-founder

Hastings graduated with a B.A. in mathematics from Bowdoin College and later completed an M.S. in computer science at Stanford.