When students begin graduate studies in philosophy, they're typically looking to explore the essence of existence — and suffice it to say, most are not getting on a path to riches.
But one of Silicon Valley's most influential billionaires, LinkedIn founder and Greylock Partners investor Reid Hoffman, received his masters degree in philosophy from Oxford in 1993. He was originally planning to go into academia, but decided that his desire to do nothing less than change the world would be more likely in the world of tech. That's not to say, however, that he abandoned the lessons he learned.
Image: Reid Hoffman said that he has been "greatly aided by the crispness of thinking that comes with philosophical training." Courtesy of Reid Hoffman
