Chamath Palihapitiya Says He'd Send His Son To College Only For The Culture, 'The Best Thing You Could Do..'

Chamath Palihapitiya says the true dividend of college isn't a diploma but "culture."

What Happened: During the latest All-In podcast, the Social Capital founder told co-host David Friedberg, "My son is a rising junior and his entire focus is that he wants to go to an SEC school because of the culture."

Palihapitiya conceded his own mindset has flipped. "Two years ago I would’ve panicked … and now I’m like, that’s actually the best thing you could do," he said, adding that college is where young adults get "socially well-adjusted” and learn to “… deal with different kinds of failures." The billionaire framed college less as a career gatekeeper, more as years of structured experimentation.

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Why It Matters: He's hardly alone in down-ranking credentials. Elon Musk has long argued, "college is basically for fun and to prove that you can do your chores," and calls mandatory degrees "absurd." PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel goes further, paying would-be scholars $100,000 to drop out because he "thinks college is such a waste."

Yet heavyweights still defend the classroom. According to an account by TIME, Bill Gates — himself a Harvard dropout — maintains that graduates "are more likely to find a rewarding job, earn higher income, and even … live healthier lives," warning of an 11-million-worker shortfall without more degrees.

The debate lands as U.S. tuition tops $28,000 a year and surveys show half of employers no longer require four-year degrees. The ROI calculus is simple for Palihapitiya: classrooms teach facts, but tailgates teach life.

Photo Courtesy: Kathy Hutchins On Shutterstock.com

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