Should we burn down the business schools? Chris Marquis had a New York Times opinion piece that created a lot of buzz. Here are some of my thoughts. They are too late to impact the discussion, but I still think that they are important.
Burn Down The Business Schools
The provocative header “it’s time to shut them down” was given by an editor at the New York Times. I wasn’t a fan of the piece but I’m fine with provocative headlines. If I wrote an opinion piece I’d want people to read it. If that involved an editor amping up the message a bit in the headline there are worse things in the world. Marquis doesn’t want to burn down the business schools but I don’t blame him and the NYT team for giving it a bit of extra oomph.
I also don’t mind people criticizing him for the headline given he doesn’t have a proper plan for shutting down business schools. His best example of a new (non-business school) approach has caused some confusion. Strangely, Marquis highlights the best example of his plan to get rid of business schools as the approach of the University of Vermont business school. Let’s assume he really means dramatic reform, not dissolution of the business schools.
What To Do?
When organizations you are involved in get condemned it is natural to be a bit defensive. Hopefully I’m not too defensive. That everything takes so long when working in academia is good news for me. Even if everyone got together and decided get rid of business schools as soon as possible, it wouldn’t impact my career too much. I can retire in about a decade, which is much sooner than “as soon as possible” in academia. So if Marquis had a plan I could accept it, but he doesn’t really.
Marquis proposes that we have schools of organization rather than business schools. Yet, I didn’t see much in the way of thinking about how organizations operate, get funded, gain legitimacy, or cater to their unique student bases. Does he really think that the University of Georgia and the University of Vermont should be doing the same thing? What about a business school in a teaching university? Can Cambridge or Harvard adopt the same model?
US Law And Medicine Are Perfect?
I would say that when Marquis held up other professional schools as exemplars it seemed a little naive.
A medical school’s core justification is health, and a law school’s is justice — undisputed public goods.
Marquis, 2026
Yes business schools have issues but the idea that law schools manage to ensure their students have a great respect for justice is a little hard to take. The lawyers in the federal government seem a little more ICE than justice.
Even medical schools have their issues. If they are all about health surely they should be leading the charge to sort out US healthcare. Are they? I’m a big fan of medicine but medical schools, like the business schools Marquis disparages, have significant issues and produce their fair share of alumni who seem to care most about their personal wealth.
Academic Freedom: Who Needs It?
I would say it is odd that nowadays academic freedom seems to be something no one worries about. When right wing states interfere with universities the New York Times readers are, rightly, annoyed. The idea that we could mandate “no business schools” even if students want them seems pretty terrible to me too. You should be able to discuss DEI in universities. You should be able to discuss Milton Friedman. I don’t believe Marquis wanted to do this but the implication that some powerful body, almost certainly a government, would ban business schools is a pretty dystopian suggestion.
What Are Business Schools For?
I have taught at a number of business schools now and there are issues. For example, all the schools I know are aiming to be thought leaders by copying what every else does on AI. There are definitely things to improve.
I also want to see a move towards business that is better for all. Rather than worry that business schools are indoctrinating students to be greedy I would worry more than we aren’t really aiming for anything much at all. My opinion is that there is a lot of potential to try and create much more discussion of what business is for. What do businesses owe to their communities? Is it okay to pay workers less than a living wage? Important discussions can happen in a business school. Yes, let’s discuss the big questions, not just think that business schools must be killed.
Win-Win (Or Go Home)
I guess the core problem I have with Marquis’ thinking is that I don’t see the big picture. He has a (very interesting) book on the B Corp movement which is a movement committed to win-win thinking. Yet he seems not to believe in win-wins.
According to Marquis many studies showing that business could do well by doing good (win-win) were flawed. It is hardly shocking that studies are flawed. That is the way research progresses. If the past studies were all perfect we could all stop working on research.
Any school of organization like the one he advocates for would surely aim for win-win thinking. The reason to have social institutions is to create win-wins. Society exists so we can all gain more by working together. If you want to go and live in the woods feel free, that sounds awful to me; no TV, vegan chocolate, or flush toilets. And yet Marquis seems to reject the idea of win-wins. It just seems a bit odd for someone who wants to see progress as progress must, surely, come from win-wins.
A classic win-win is the contention that environmental programs like reducing waste or using LED lights can save money or that decent pay and benefits lower costs by reducing employee turnover.
Marquis, 2026
That higher pay can lead to more profits is a classic discussion point in discussions of better business. Why? This is because it is exactly what we want business to do. Let’s make sure that business students know this is often possible while not destroying the business.
Don’t Give Up
Is the world perfect? Of course not. We find a lot of situations where all can’t win. But if we aren’t teaching students to search for win-wins then what are we teaching students? Why are we doing it? I agree if win-wins don’t exist the get rid of business schools. Get rid of the whole university. Let’s abolish the nation state. Families what are they good for too? The basic idea that win-wins don’t ever exist is nonsense.
If business schools don’t teach students to search for win-wins maybe we should burn them down. But that doesn’t have to be the case.
For other work by Chris Marquis see https://neilbendle.com/certification-and-better-business/, https://neilbendle.com/the-marketing-of-better-business/, https://neilbendle.com/negative-externalities-reduce-public-welfare/, https://neilbendle.com/an-ineffective-defense-of-degrowth/, and https://neilbendle.com/are-we-making-any-progress-on-sustainability/
Read: Chris Marquis (2026) I Teach at a Business School. It’s Time to Shut Them Down. The New York Times, Oct 18, 2026
