Online Learning Update

August 22, 2015

Codeacademy: Turning a Profit when Your Product is Free

Filed under: Online Learning News — Ray Schroeder @ 12:03 am

by CHRISTIAN CAMEROTA, Harvard Business School

A good way to build a large user base is to offer something valuable for free. That’s been the strategy so far behind Codecademy. In just a few short years since its inception in 2011, the company has grown into one of the world’s largest online learning platforms, with more than 24 million users. Not only does it teach a skill set (coding) that is increasingly in demand in the job market, but its users are so loyal and engaged that they have provided the bulk of the learning content themselves at no cost. Codecademy’s community, a collection of technological altruists, is its most valuable asset. However, the company is now at a crossroads. It has grown so big and so popular that it must consider monetizing certain aspects of its business to ensure sustained quality and to continue to bolster its content offerings.

http://www.hbs.edu/news/articles/Pages/bussgang-codecademy.aspx

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