Modern Management Thinking or McKinsey-Type Outfits, Hire Skolkovo Graduates
April 10, 2026
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
Skolkovo. That ranks right up there with Harvard, Stanford, and the University of Chicago – type MBAs. I don’t know if the management wizard referenced in “Russian Billionaire Says 12 Hour Days and 6-Day Workweeks Could Help Save the Economy” graduated from Skolkovo. Frankly I don’t care. The idea is sheer genius. Perhaps not as brilliant as the special operation, but it is right up there. I am going to take my Peter Drucker books and my worn notes from my charm school training and recycle them responsibly. The ideas are not in step with this new approach to work.
This could be the trendy hat for MBA schools. It is a Deripaska hat, and a tribute to keen management thinking. Thanks, Venice.ai. The hat did not violate your guardrails. The request for white numbers was ignored, but, hey, good enough.
The ideas allegedly flow from the fertile mind of a person named Oleg Deripaska, whose savvy financial dealings sparked the creation of the term de-Deripaskization. I am a dinobaby, and I don’t know much about Russian rules and regulations. But a quick visit to the Google and to Yandex delivered some interesting assertions about this wealthy person; for instance:
- He seems to be on the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List. This blocks all his assets in the U.S. and makes business dealings with him risky in some jurisdictions
- He allegedly tried to arrange for his children to get US citizenship. Yeah, they are Russians, but a smart executive sees solutions, not problems. He does have a 2022 indictment hanging over his head or he did have because today things can be fluid.
- Some nations U.S. and UK, the EU, and a few G7 nations have imposed sanctions upon him.
So what’s the management insight? The write up reports:
Russians should consider working 12-hour days, six days a week, as the country grapples with a deep
ereconomic shift, Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska said on Monday [March 31, 2026]. Referring to what he described as a changed global reality, Deripaska framed the country’s slowing economy as more than a typical downturn driven by interest rates or monetary policy.
Will US forward leaning management experts embrace this idea? Answer: Absolutely. The scarcity of jobs, the fear that Uncle Claude will step in and just do the work, and the desire of some big AI technology leadership to create a low-paid humanoid serf class could fuel this management revolution.
Let’s consider who would snap into this new 12x6x12 or 12 hours a day, six days a week, 12 months each year.
First, the truly desperate. I can imagine a number of recent college graduates figuring that some work is better than making wreaths and picture frames to sell on Etsy.com.
Second, the older person who is will to take a part time 12x6x12 to supplement government assistance or retirement money.
Third, a single parent family with one or more kiddos. Those athletic shoes are expensive, and youngsters like to eat.
I am sure there are some categories I have overlooked. It is clear to me that this facet of what I would call the Skolkovo Method or applying logic to a problem like productivity and generating oomph for a country’s gross domestic product has some merit.
I am waiting for a YouTube video featuring Oleg Deripaska. He can explain the details of the 12x6x12 method. It is not just a method for Russia. The idea could revolutionize how the US MBA programs train future VCs, BAIT leadership, and bankers to approach opportunities.
I want a hat with 12x6x12 emblazoned on it. Big time consultants can wear them to client/prospect meetings. I might get one myself. I can alternate it with my “I’m Glad I’m Old” hat.
Stephen E Arnold, April 10, 2026
Comments
Got something to say?
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
