You misunderstand me. I'll grant that Google has data to back it up. I also think not being able to explain the underlying mechanism (IQ? curriculum? selectivity? exposure to Atlantic seafood?) leads to shallow thinking, false negatives, and possibly false positives.

I can't think of much about MIT that can't be replicated by a dedicated individual. And I think the industry as a whole agrees with that. There seems to be consensus that where a degree is from matters much less as industry experience increases.

Indeed, see my comment on how the MIT admissions office looks for evidence the applicant can do projects. If you graduate from MIT without gaining such an ability if you didn't start with it, well, you've wasted your time there unless, say, you're a pure math type (even the theoretical physics types have to do Junior Lab, which I gather is a requirement of the science equivalent of ABET).