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Hired! MIT Alumnus Scores Job with Trump on The Apprentice

Trump (seated) called Pinkett an amazing leader. "Rarely have I seen a leader as good as you," he said addressing Pinkett. "And you lead through niceness." Pinkett considers the win "a dream come true." Photo: Virginia Sherwood/NBC Entertainment

It's official: a star is hired. Randal Pinkett LFM '98 triumphed over 17 other competitors to earn a job with Donald Trump on The Apprentice 4 finale Dec. 15. "Randal's been a star. He's got a star education. He's MIT, he's a Rhodes Scholar," Trump said. "Do you know what that means? That's serious, serious education." Some 800 students and alumni gathered in Kresge Auditorium to witness the event.

Indeed, Pinkett seemed the clear favorite throughout the 13-week job interview, winning all three tasks he project-managed, earning the respect of fellow cast members, and being quickly snatched up by other competitors when opportunities arose to even the teams.

The win nets Pinkett a six-figure job with The Donald overseeing the renovation and expansion of Trump's three hotels in Atlantic City, New Jersey. "My goal is to take full advantage of the opportunity to learn from Mr. Trump," Pinkett says. "I see it really as what it's intended to be, an apprenticeship. I don't envision that I will begin a lifelong career at the Trump organization, but I certainly will work hard and seek to learn, and be a sponge. … I believe I have a lot to bring to the Trump organization through my experience as an entrepreneur."

Typical of reality TV drama, Pinkett's fate was left in question during the penultimate episode, in which he and challenger Rebecca, a 23-year-old financial journalist, organized large benefits. Pinkett did make some questionable decisions—dragging all of his employees to shop at a party supply store and not having a rain contingency plan, which was needed. But Pinkett's grace under pressure and charm won over his clients.

At the end of the finale, Trump asked Pinkett if Rebecca should also be hired, but as far as Pinkett was concerned, the night belonged to him. "There is one and only one apprentice, and if you're going to hire someone tonight, it should be one," Pinkett replied. "It's not The Apprenti, it's The Apprentice."

Pinkett (left) will oversee a major renovation and expansion of Trump's three Atlantic City hotels that also aims to help revitalize that city. Here, Pinkett escorts The Donald to a fundraising benefit. Photo: Kevin T. Gilbert/NBC Entertainment

Pinkett's final competitor could simply not top his academic credentials and business acumen. Pinkett, 34, holds five degrees, including one from Oxford earned on a Rhodes Scholarship and three from MIT: a master's in electrical engineering, an MBA in the Leaders for Manufacturing (LFM) Program, and a PhD from the Media Laboratory. He's also founded five companies, the latest Newark, NJ-based BCT Partners, a management, technology, and policy consulting firm.

"There's no question that a lot of the organizational development and strategy and communication skills that I honed at MIT were applied on the show," says Pinkett, citing LFM's leaderships activities and exercises as important to his training. "All those skills that have to do with being a leader and leading people I think I applied and applied effectively on the show."

Pinkett's background served him well on his first two project-managed tasks. He utilized Media Lab experience when he organized a senior citizen technology expo. Experience with an education and training company he founded earlier (1997) informed a team-designed Learning Annex training course. Only marketing Shania Twain's new perfume proved an unprecedented challenge for Pinkett. "I had no experience in perfume, no direct experience in marketing or street sales, so that was a great win."

Some 800 students and alumni gathered in Kresge Auditorium to watch the finale. "The MIT community has been cheering me since the first episode and I appreciate it," says Pinkett. He occasionally wore his Brass Rat on the show.

Winning teams received rewards each week. Pinkett's included a yacht trip around Manhattan with his wife, horseback riding with Shania Twain, lunch with The Donald, and a shopping spree with designer Michael Kors at his boutique.

Pinkett did face some troublesome moments: learning of his grandmother's death in episode one, missing a typo on a promotional poster, and having a teammate question his creativity in front of Trump. But never shying away from a leadership role and leading by example served him well. "My strategy was to be fair and to treat people with respect," Pinkett says, "and to deal with the environment of reality TV much like I would any other business environment."

In the end, Pinkett was happy with the way he was portrayed on the show. "Particularly when I look at how other members of the cast have been presented, I really have very few complaints," he says. "I feel like I came across true to who I am and represented the kind of business person that I am in a very positive light."

December 16, 2005