So Long, and Thanks for all the [Spangler] Fish

Industry Insights & Travel Editor Abhiram Karuppur (MBA ‘25) on what he’ll remember most about HBS.

I’ll admit, the title of this article has little to do with the content that follows. It’s that time of year when ECs start to wax nostalgic in every conversation. “What could I have done differently?”, “Did I network with the right people?”, “Did I go to the Basement enough times?” I could devote multiple articles to these questions, but I’ll focus instead on something more important: what will I remember about my HBS experience in [20] years?

Of course, there are the obvious answers: the people, the group memories, the Shad exercise, etc. But what about the most HBS thing of all: the glorious cases?

I thought long and hard about which cases I’d still remember many years after HBS. I think there are a select few that really stuck with me, mostly because the takeaways will likely change the way I approach both my career and personal life.

Case #1: Tessei

An all-time classic. Wasn’t the takeaway from this one just that employees are motivated by wearing Hawaiian shirts? Maybe that’s part of it, but I think this case resonated with me because it explored how to motivate people who have lost faith in their current situation.

We’ve all probably encountered someone who truly dislikes their job or where their life is headed. Maybe they once dreamed of doing something else, but life got in the way: illness, family situations, or just bad luck. We’ll all experience a time when we feel stuck. The Tessei case showed us a way out. It’s less about the clothing we wear and more about the mentality we cultivate. We all seek purpose, professionally and personally, and it’s important to determine what drives us so we can focus on it as we navigate difficult times.

Case #2: Hamilton

This is a crossover RC/EC case (FIN1/BEMS). I think the takeaways (spoiler alert) from both classes are valuable. In FIN1, we learned how to use decision trees to determine what decisions to make today based on future outcomes. In particular, if we know a future outcome isn’t worthwhile, we ought to assume we would never take the actions that lead to that outcome. This makes the overall result of a decision more attractive than it might otherwise seem.

It sounds self-explanatory, but I think the implications are significant. I always viewed risk-taking as a gain-if-it-goes-well, loss-if-it-goes-poorly kind of situation. But if we know that a sequence of decisions could likely lead to a loss, we can take actions to mitigate the downside risk. That sets us up to make more informed bets and potentially reap greater rewards than our instincts might suggest.

The other takeaway from Hamilton was the idea of “haves” and “have-nots” in certain industries. In entertainment, for example, a select few companies do extremely well, while the rest have marginal impact. In Hamilton’s world, a handful of Broadway shows make it big and generate most of the industry’s revenue. There’s value in the smaller, more niche players, but the customer has to actively seek them out.

This insight carries over to our personal lives: if you’re going to do something, strive to be one of the best or carve out a unique niche. I think this philosophy can help guide how we spend our time and how we create the most value in our communities.

Case #3: Challenger

I’ll be honest: I thought I knew everything about this case before doing it for class. The case explores the breakdown in communication and decision-making during the Challenger space shuttle disaster. What really stunned me was that a room full of intelligent people could still make poor decisions.

We’re often led to believe that intelligence is additive: the more minds you have, the better the team. But this case — and my own experiences — made it clear that intelligence alone doesn’t lead to better outcomes. Teams need mutual respect and psychological safety to foster discussion and disagreement. Without that, the likelihood of a bad decision increases. In the case of Challenger, that proved to be deadly.

Beyond the Books

I could go on about other cases, but I figured it would be better to end my last Harbus article with some highlights from the past two years (outside of case discussions). There are so many moments that could only happen at a place like this, and it’ll be tough to return to the “real world” without that daily HBS sparkle.

There were, of course, the special guests: Reese Witherspoon making an unannounced appearance, Chef Thomas Keller sharing his go-to breakfast order, Toto Wolff and Kevin O’Leary just being themselves, Howard Marks talking about risk and uncertainty, Cynthia Carroll from the famed HBS YouTube video, and so on.

I’ll never forget how to evaluate contracts and other complex transaction documents (thanks, LME), how to chase early adopters, how to avoid reenacting the fraud triangle, and that six-party negotiations always end in surprises.

In-class bingo, double entendres, and all the wild and wacky occurrences are what make HBS one of the coolest places on the planet.

But as the great producer Norman Lear once said: “Over and next.” The HBS chapter must close in order for us to move on to bigger and better things. And so, as much as I’ll miss prepping cases (ha!), learning from the greats with the greatest classmates, writing for the best publication known to man, and eating Spangler food (so I guess Spangler does make an appearance), I know that the best is yet to come.

Congratulations to all you 2025ers. It’s been an honor, and I can’t wait to read the cases written about your achievements!

Prior to joining HBS, Abhiram Karuppur (MBA ‘25) worked in Houston, TX at Ara Partners, a private equity fund focused on energy transition and decarbonization technologies. A New Jersey native, he graduated with a B.S.E. in Chemical & Biological Engineering from Princeton University in 2019. Outside of class, you can find him biking around Boston’s many trails, dominating (sometimes) at pub trivia, or trying out the local food scene.