{
  "id": 16480362,
  "title": "Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/ex-pepsico-ceo-indra-nooyi-worked-from-midnight-until-5-a-m-as-a",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-25T13:20:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/article/former-pepsico-ceo-indra-nooyi-worked-as-overnight-receptionist-to-fund-her-yale-degree-earned-respect/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Indra Nooyi, the former PepsiCo CEO, once worked as a receptionist from midnight until 5 a.m. to afford her Yale degree, and she attributes her increased respect to those grueling hours. In a July interview with Condoleezza Rice, Nooyi recalled her time at Yale, where she was a \"misfit\" from India. Rather than socializing, she prioritized studying and working hard to secure future employment. Paying for an Ivy League education was no easy feat, as annual tuition equaled around $20,000 in today's dollars and her parents couldn't contribute financially. Despite the sacrifices, her relentless work ethic paid off, and when she landed consulting and investment banking jobs, people recognized their brainpower and respected her for the hard work. Today, Nooyi holds over a dozen honorary degrees and serves on the boards of Amazon, Honeywell, and Philips, with an estimated net worth of $340 million. Becoming a leader, according to Nooyi, is like training for the Olympics and requires years of observation, practice, and experience.",
  "summary": "The former PepsiCo CEO says grinding through overnight shifts as an Ivy League receptionist earned her respect no social connection could buy.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}