Though she might not be best known for her business acumen and entrepreneurial knowledge, it goes without saying that reality star Kim Kardashian knows a thing or two about running a successful empire.
But not everyone is sold on Kardashian being the one to dole out advice. The star faced backlash on social media over the weekend for giving a speech at Harvard Business School.
Kardashian visited HBS in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Friday with Skims co-founder Jens Grede to talk to students about the shapewear company for nearly two hours as a part of a direct-to-consumer seminar.
I spoke At Harvard Business School yesterday for a class called HBS Moving Beyond DTC. The class’s assignment was to learn about @skims, so my partner Jens and I spoke about our marketing, our challenges and our greatest wins. pic.twitter.com/42FiWDlmaj
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) January 21, 2023
Though cameras did follow her around campus, the seminar itself was not filmed.
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Many took to Twitter to criticize Harvard’s decision to invite the 42-year-old to speak at the highly reputable institution.
“I’d hate to pay that Harvard tuition $$$$ to only get her as a speaker,” one user bluntly wrote. “Do Better, Harvard.”
Not everyone was anti-Kardashian, though. Many pointed to the success of her multiple business endeavors as grounds for credibility.
“I don’t get what the hate is about. A bunch of jealous people,” one user pointed out. “The reality is, she wasn’t born ultra wealthy. She created a company, leveraged her talents, and built a brand.”
Kardashian’s Skims brand doubled in valuation last year after a $240 million financing round led by hedge fund Lone Pine Capital and investment firm D1 Capital Partners.
The company is currently estimated to be worth around $3.2 billion.
Though Kardashian has quite an impressive business portfolio, the bulk of her non-endorsement-deal earnings come from majority equity stakes in Skims and her beauty line, KKW Beauty, in which she sold a 20% stake for $200 million in 2020.
Kardashian’s net worth is estimated to be $1.4 billion.