Yesterday Coursera announced it is acquiring Udemy for $1.2 billion.
I figured it would be good to share what we know so far with those of you who have bought courses on Udemy.
At this stage, the announcement confirms intent and direction, not implementation details. There is no published plan yet covering platform structure, instructor treatment, pricing, course retention, or timelines beyond regulatory approval and eventual integration. It still has to be approved by the FCC and both companies stockholders.
Disclaimer: Most of the QA answers are assumptions because there has been very little communication from Udemy and Coursera.
QA – General
When does this take effect and is it the start of consolidation and content removal?
- The merger will likely close within a few months. Any major platform consolidation or content removal would probably happen 3-6 months after that.
Is Udemy going away?
- Yes, the Udemy brand is being incorporated into Coursera.
Is this good or bad for students?
- We don’t know. Likely less courses and higher prices, but maybe also better courses.
Will my course progress be saved?
- We have no clue, but I would assume so.
Will course content change or be removed?
- Likely, they are likely to prune many courses, but we don’t know the criteria. Both companies mentioned ‘$115M in cost synergies,’ which often includes cutting content.
Will instructors still update their courses?
- That depends on the instructor.
- Many are already frustrated with Udemy’s revenue split—instructors earn only 15% on subscription and Udemy Business students while Udemy keeps 85%.
- Many are likely to leave if the terms do not improve or if they get worse (likely).
- I’ll keep updating as long as I’m permitted to teach on the platform, while I am unhappy about my revenue share, I also have an obligation to my students.
QA Udemy Marketplace Students (Individual Purchases)
Will my existing courses disappear with my Lifetime Access?
- No, as far as we know they will honor your purchases. It would seem like a PR nightmare if they didn’t.
Will prices change?
- Probably yes. Coursera’s typical pricing is higher than Udemy’s constant sale model. Expect $50-500 per course instead of $10-20 sales.
Will Udemy Marketplace still exist as a separate platform?
- No, the Udemy brand is going away, it may be rebranded as “Coursera Marketplace” or integrated entirely. But it is likely there will be some sort of Marketplace for individual course purchases.
Will courses move behind a subscription paywall?
- Possible but not announced. Coursera offers both individual purchases and Coursera Plus subscription. But both platforms have been pushing the subscription model harder the last 1-2 years.
Will there be new subscription models forced on me?
- Nothing will be “forced” for courses you already own. Future access to new courses may shift toward subscription-only. We don’t know yet.
QA Udemy Business and Individual Subscription Students
Will Udemy Business still exist?
- Yes’ish, since the Udemy brand is disappearing it will turn into Coursera Business.
Will my company still have access to the same courses?
- Unknown. Course libraries are often reviewed and reduced after mergers.
Will smaller instructors be pushed out?
- Probably. Consolidation often favors larger or strategically aligned content.
Feel free to ask any other questions you might have in this post.