I have to disagree with this claim. Leverage matters immensely. The truth about &quot;merit&quot; is that no one knows how to assess it, so people judge based on external leverage and status, and having an MBA from a top-5 school gives a person a huge advantage.<p>If you&#x27;re a walk-on for a $250,000-per-year sinecure, then they&#x27;re going to give you a real tech job, and not some lowly code-the-stories position.