Comment by proberts

Education is irrelevant. A PhD in and of itself doesn't help but it usually means that the individual has published, engaged in original research/work, etc. but someone can have published, engaged in original research/work, etc. without a PhD or any degree. So it's about what the individual has done, not his or her education. That being said, there's no question that USCIS's view of an O-1 petition is colored by the applicant's education and there's sort of a presumption that someone with a PhD qualifies for an O-1.