In this installment of our Real Humans: Alumni series, we meet Eddie Chen, whose pivot from the oil and gas industry to software tech came with a new way of thinking. Adept at breaking down complex technical problems, Chen learned how to frame those problems in terms of a financial, organizational, and human lens at Yale School of Management (SOM). Overall, he credits the Yale MBA for making him a more empathetic and effective leader in his product manager role at Twitch. Read his story below.
Eddie Chen, Yale SOM MBA ’23, Senior Product Manager at Twitch
Age: 32
Hometown: Houston, TX
Undergraduate Institution and Major: UT Austin, Chemical Engineering
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Drilling and Completions Engineer, Shell, 5 years, Energy/Oil & Gas
Post-MBA Work Experience: Sr. Product Manager – Technical, Amazon, 2 years, Tech | Sr. Product Manager – Technical, Twitch (just started), Tech
Why did you choose to attend business school?
I wanted to explore the intersection between business and engineering from a larger strategy perspective. After building a strong foundation in a highly technical role early in my career, I was eager to broaden my perspective beyond hardware-focused disciplines and to identify opportunities where I could create meaningful impact at scale for a broader community.
Why Yale SOM? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
Yale SOM stood out to me because of its mission to develop leaders at the intersection of business and society. I’ve always wanted my career to have an impact beyond just business results, and the way Yale frames leadership around that broader purpose felt like the right fit. I was also drawn to the kind of people the school brings together such as folks from non-traditional backgrounds like nonprofit, government & policy, and creative fields. Coming from a technical, engineering-heavy environment, I wanted a broader range of perspectives than my prior experience. So for me, SOM wasn’t just about the classes or the academics. It was more about being part of a community where I would be pushed to think bigger and see problems from angles I hadn’t considered before.
What about your MBA experience prepared you for your current career?
My MBA experience gave me not only a business education, but also a new way of thinking. I already knew how to break down complex technical problems, but SOM taught me to frame them in terms of a financial, organizational, and human lens at the same time – which is how I operate now as a product manager. I’d like to think that I’ve become a more empathetic and effective leader since.
Why did you choose your current company? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to work?
I interned at several companies throughout business school. This included a VC, clean energy startup and Amazon’s Alexa AI business line. Ultimately, I decided to return to Amazon to develop more foundational product management skills since I was changing my career path from Energy/Oil & Gas to Software Tech.
Advice to current MBA students:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of the job search?
Reach out to the alumni network.
–One thing you would change or do differently as part of the job search?
Expanded my job search across multiple sectors – cast a wider net.
–Were there any surprises regarding your current employer’s recruiting process?
It was much more dynamic than I expected and had a delayed start date. Thankfully I was able to find short term employment – which again was supported through the alumni network.
–What piece of advice do you wish you had been given during your MBA?
I wish someone had told me about how overwhelming the experience would be. By my second year, I set firmer boundaries on my time.
