Debunking the myth that you need to be a coder to succeed, we’re looking at the most successful non-STEM tech founders.

I was grabbing coffee with a friend the other day, and we got into a fascinating conversation. With AI and biotech startups seemingly requiring genius-level technical skills, she asked, “Is it even possible to succeed in tech without a degree in science or engineering?” It’s a great question. We tend to picture tech leaders as coding prodigies who dropped out of Stanford or MIT. But the reality is, some of the most successful non-STEM tech founders built their empires on degrees in things like philosophy, art, and history.

It’s an easy assumption to make. The headlines are dominated by complex topics like large language models and gene editing, and it feels like you need a Ph.D. just to understand the conversation, let alone start a company. But building a great tech company isn’t just about writing perfect code. It’s about understanding people, seeing a problem that needs solving, and having a vision for a better way to do things.

The Surprising Backgrounds of Top Non-STEM Tech Founders

When you peel back the curtain, you find that the path to creating a billion-dollar tech company is more varied than you’d think. The skills learned while studying humanities or arts—like critical thinking, communication, and empathy—are not just soft skills; they are foundational to building products that people actually want to use.

Here are a few legendary founders who took a different path:

• Stewart Butterfield, Co-founder of Slack & Flickr: Before creating two of the most influential platforms in modern internet history, Butterfield earned a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Philosophy. He often credits his philosophy background for honing his ability to write clearly and argue effectively, which was crucial for internal communication and fundraising. In an interview with Forbes, he famously celebrated his “useless” degree as a secret weapon.

• Brian Chesky, Co-founder of Airbnb: The man who helped put a stranger’s spare bedroom in every city on earth has a background in Industrial Design. Chesky’s training wasn’t in coding algorithms but in understanding user experience and aesthetics. That design-first thinking is baked into Airbnb’s DNA. It’s a platform built around trust and usability, principles he learned at the Rhode Island School of Design, not in a computer science lab.

• Susan Wojcicki, former CEO of YouTube: As one of Google’s earliest employees (her garage was its first office) and the long-time head of YouTube, Wojcicki’s academic background is in History and Literature. Her ability to understand cultural trends and human stories was instrumental in turning YouTube from a quirky video-sharing site into a global media powerhouse.

• Jack Ma, Co-founder of Alibaba Group: Before becoming one of the world’s most famous tech entrepreneurs, Jack Ma was an English teacher. He has no formal training in computers or technology. His strength was in his vision, his salesmanship, and his incredible ability to unite people around a common goal.

The Real Skillset for Startup Success

So, what do these stories tell us? They show that the most critical skills for a founder aren’t necessarily technical. They’re about vision, communication, and leadership.

A great founder needs to:
1. Identify a Human Problem: Technology is just a tool. The real innovation comes from deeply understanding a need or frustration people have.
2. Communicate a Vision: You have to be able to explain your idea in a way that inspires employees, investors, and customers. A philosophy or literature major might actually be better at this than an engineer.
3. Build a Great Team: This is perhaps the most important skill. If you aren’t a technical expert, you need to find a co-founder who is. Success is about partnership and complementing each other’s skills. As detailed in Harvard Business Review, a diversity of thought and background is a massive strength.

So, Do You Need a STEM Degree to Launch a Tech Company?

Absolutely not. While technical expertise is obviously essential to building the product, it doesn’t have to reside solely in the founder. The success of these non-STEM tech founders proves that the leader’s job is to have the vision and build the team to execute it.

If you have a world-changing idea but your background is in art history, psychology, or marketing, don’t let that stop you. Your unique perspective is your greatest asset. It allows you to see problems and solutions that a traditionally trained engineer might miss. Find a technical partner who believes in your vision, and you’ll have the two key ingredients for success.

The tech world needs more storytellers, designers, and philosophers. It needs people who understand humanity as well as they understand code. So, that “useless” liberal arts degree might just be the start of the next big thing.