The 7 best tech companies for MBAs
Each year, more and more MBA grads choose jobs in tech. There is surely no shortage of companies existing (and entering) this space, but which are the best of the best? We turned to data reported by real MBAs at over 4,000 companies to create a list of the top tech companies to help you choose your perfect match.
#1. Microsoft
Average Starting Compensation: $244,384
Average Starting Salary: $116,473
Average Hours/Week: 44
Equivalent Hourly Wage: $51
Average Travel Percentage: 9%
Average Satisfaction: 8.3/10
Top Functions: Marketing, Sales, Corporate Finance, Product Management
High compensation and satisfaction paired with great work-life balance earned Microsoft the top spot on our list. The higher satisfaction rated by MBA grads working at Microsoft may be due in part to their culture. The tenets of Microsoft’s culture include a growth mindset, customer obsession, diversity and inclusion, a global community, and using technology to make a difference in the world.
#2. Google
Composite Score: 98
Average Starting Compensation: $219,745
Average Starting Salary: $121,979
Average Hours/Week: 44
Equivalent Hourly Wage: $54
Average Travel Percentage: 12%
Average Satisfaction: 8.4/10
Top Functions: Product Management, Corporate Finance, Project Management
There’s no doubt that Google is a popular company, especially among the MBA grads working there. Satisfaction scores are above average and work-life balance is better than other MBA grads working in tech. Product Management is a popular function for MBA grads, which puts employees at the head of a collaborative team to bring innovation to the world.
#3. Intel
Composite Score: 92
Average Starting Compensation: $196,767
Average Starting Salary: $122,416
Average Hours/Week: 40
Equivalent Hourly Wage: $59
Average Travel Percentage: 5%
Average Satisfaction: 7.0/10
Top Functions: Corporate Finance, General Management, Business Development
On top of great work-life balance, Intel offers MBAs opportunities spanning many functions across the world. Intel sees MBAs as the future leaders of their company, and even offer an Accelerated Leadership Program to hone the skills needed to move Intel forward.
#4. Facebook
Composite Score: 91
Average Starting Compensation: $207,200
Average Starting Salary: $126,292
Average Hours/Week: 48
Equivalent Hourly Wage: $51
Average Travel Percentage: 19%
Average Satisfaction: 7.5/10
Top Functions: Marketing, Operations, Product Management
Facebook’s core values include being bold, moving fast, and focusing on impact. MBA grads at Facebook must resonate with the company’s culture, because overall satisfaction is a bit above the industry average. You don’t have to be an engineer to work at Facebook, either. The company has opportunities across many interests (and countries).
#5. IBM
Composite Score: 89
Average Starting Compensation: $164,190
Average Starting Salary: $124,714
Average Hours/Week: 48
Equivalent Hourly Wage: $50
Average Travel Percentage: 5%
Average Satisfaction: 8.5/10
Top Functions: Product Management, Corporate Finance, Corporate Strategy, Consulting
MBA graduates at IBM report great work-life balance and overall satisfaction. Opportunities exist across functions, or MBAs can pursue the General Manager Leadership Development Program. This three-year rotational program exposes MBA grads to cities across the globe, as well as functional areas such as consulting, sales, and business development.
#6. Amazon
Composite Score: 88
Average Starting Compensation: $224,461
Average Starting Salary: $123,970
Average Hours/Week: 55
Equivalent Hourly Wage: $44
Average Travel Percentage: 6%
Average Satisfaction: 7.3/10
Top Functions: Product Management, Operations, Corporate Finance, General Management
MBA graduates at Amazon report starting compensations that are nearly $30,000 above the industry average, but they also have slightly longer work weeks than others. Just like the other companies on the list, MBAs interested in Amazon don’t need to have technical chops. There are plenty of positions (and even a rotational program) to choose from.
#7. Adobe
Composite Score: 86
Average Starting Compensation: $192,237
Average Starting Salary: $129,281
Average Hours/Week: 43
Equivalent Hourly Wage: $57
Average Travel Percentage: 12%
Average Satisfaction: 6.0/10
Top Functions: Corporate Strategy, Product Management, Marketing, Sales
Adobe seeks MBA grads that can bring both creative and analytical skills to the company, and then pays them above average for the tech industry. While a technical background can benefit employees there are also non-tech opportunities, such as the Adobe Sales Academy rotational program.
Other top scoring companies for tech:
Apple (82)
Samsung (82)
Dell (81)
Target company not on the list? Don’t sweat it. There are over 5,000 employers profiled on our site, so you can easily compare the satisfaction and compensation of the companies you daydream about – and even dive into specific positions within the firm.
The Technology industry is defined as Software, Hardware, and Ecommerce/Internet firms. All data points are reported by MBA students and alumni for their first full-time job post-MBA. Certain companies were excluded based on low sample size for jobs in Technology.
Methodology:
These companies have been ranked on data from MBAs in areas such as compensation, average hours per week, and satisfaction. All data points are from MBA-related data, i.e. internships or full-time jobs obtained during or as a result of pursuing an MBA. We indexed the following metrics versus our all-company averages, with even weight distribution:
- Total compensation potential: includes salary, performance bonus potential, signing bonus, stock compensation, and miscellaneous compensation.
- Hourly wage equivalent: blended metric to capture base salary divided by hours worked per week on average for each company.
- Overall happiness: a user-reported metric based “overall happiness” with a particular job. The average across all data points hovers around 6.5/10.
Once indexed and compiled into a composite index, we adjusted to a 100-point scale. Companies with too few data points were excluded from this analysis.
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