The top 10 MIT Sloan stories of 2017 and 2018

Here’s a look back at the most-read MIT Sloan news stories of the 2017-18 academic year.
 

1. Despite the popular assumption that the most successful entrepreneurs are 20-something whiz kids helming their Silicon Valley startups, data from the U.S. Census Bureau and IRS show the average age of entrepreneurs who’ve started companies and gone on to hire at least one employee is 42 years old.

2. Defining design thinking, and the four steps involved in the innovative problem-solving process. 

3. MIT Sloan senior lecturer Robert Pozen on the seven ways to use “systemized common sense” in your day. Here’s a hint: Don’t sweat the small stuff. 

4. After more than 100 years, the automobile landscape is changing, but there are still major barriers to adoption of electric vehicles.

5. Don’t just be the “Uber for … ” We explain how to develop a good platform strategy and avoid “platform envy.”

6. MIT Sloan experts share four things you need to know about soft skills. 

7. In a newly uncovered 1992 MIT lecture, the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs discussed his philosophies on hiring and managing. 

8. Executives and managers in all types of industries are using analytics to gain competitive advantage. Here are some ideas and examples from leading companies and researchers.

9. For the first time, the MIT Sloan’s Communications Group polled incoming MBA students to understand which communication skills they hope to master and how today’s workers interact. Here’s what they found.

10. $25 million. 12 years. Zero strings attached. Studying the effect of implementing a universal basic income in Kenya.