[medearis]

I've met several startup founders who say the best candidates are the ones who get into top technical Ph.D. programs and then drop out to join startups. Even in technical fields, it seems that the value of the Ph.D. is sometimes not in the specific knowledge gained, but in their value as an indication of merit... i.e. few Ph.D. grads go on to work on their thesis.

I also second the comment about Ph.D's in the humanities -- for the most part, they are a set up for a job in academia.

[tokenadult]

Yes, many private industry employers like "all but dissertation" applicants, who have a combination of technical knowledge and orientation toward private industry rather than academia.