Lord Sugar criticised for 'engineers can't run businesses' comment

Viewers of The Apprentice have reacted angrily to a claim by Lord Sugar that engineers don't make successful business owners.

Speaking in the latest episode of the BBC One programme, the peer made the comment as he fired Glenn Ward, a design engineer from Hertfordshire. Making the decision after the candidates were tasked with launching a free magazine, Lord Sugar said: "I have never yet come across an engineer who can turn his hands to business."

Within seconds, users of social network Twitter reacted angrily to the claim including King of Shaves founder Will King who tweeted: 

Several tweeters made reference to successful engineers including Sir James Dyson, the creator of the Dyson vacuum cleaner, who, according to the Sunday Times Rich List, is worth £1.45bn compared to Lord Sugar's £770m.

Live blogging about The Apprentice for the Guardian, Heidi Stephens wrote: "According to Lord Sugar, engineers can't turn their hands to business. He should spend a little time with my former boss, James Dyson. He's done alright. I can also predict that he will be spitting feathers tomorrow. Hopefully someone will have appropriate equipment on hand to clean them up."

Another blogger, Nicholas Allen, added: "As someone who’s built his fortune firstly on computers and subsequently satellite receiver boxes, it seems a little disingenuous to fire somebody simply because they claim to be an engineer. Basically you’ve fired somebody who might have understood your original product better than you; is that what it’s come to?