| Type of business | Public |
|---|---|
Type of site | Online education |
| Available in | |
| Traded as | Nasdaq: UDMY |
| Founded | May 11, 2010 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, |
| Created by |
|
| Key people | Hugo Sarrazin (CEO)[5] |
| Industry | |
| Revenue | |
| Operating income | |
| Net income | |
| Total assets | |
| Total equity | |
| Employees | 1,300[7] |
| URL | www |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Required |
| Users | 81 million (2025)[8] |
| Current status | Active |
Udemy (/ˈjuːdəmi/ YOO-də-mee) is a US-based education technology company. Founded as a massive open online course (MOOC) provider in 2010 by Eren Bali, Gagan Biyani, and Oktay Caglar; the company is based in San Francisco, California,[9] with offices in the United States, Australia, India, Ireland, Mexico and Turkey.[10] Its education platform allows both the creation and sharing of online courses. By early 2025, Udemy claimed to have millions of individual users. Courses are typically video-based and on-demand.[11]
History
[edit]In 2007, Eren Bali and Oktay Caglar created a live virtual classroom while living in Turkey. They moved to Silicon Valley two years later, where they founded Udemy with Gagan Biyani in early 2010.[12] In February 2010, the founders tried to raise venture capital funding, but were rejected 30 times, according to Gagan Biyani. They bootstrapped development of the product and launched Udemy in May 2010.[13] Within a few months, 1,000 instructors had created about 2,000 courses. It raised $1 million in venture funding by August 2010.[14][15] Early on, Udemy was described by some sources as a MOOC platform.[16][17]
On April 22, 2014, chief operating officer Dennis Yang succeeded Eren Bali as CEO.[18] In November 2015, Udemy was criticized for profiting from pirated courses on its platform.[19][20] In 2018, the company expanded its existing anti-piracy efforts via Link-Busters.[21] On February 5, 2019, the Udemy board appointed Gregg Coccari as CEO.[22]
As of November 2020, Udemy had raised $273 million in funding from investors, including Tencent Holdings; its valuation was estimated at $3.25 billion;[23] and it had ranked on Fortune's annual Change the World list.[24] By June 2021, Udemy had not generated a profit,[25] with an accumulated deficit of $407.9 million.[26]
On October 29, 2021, Udemy held its IPO in the U.S.[27] In February 2023, the company began offering over 100 courses in Hindi.[2] In February 2023, Greg Coccari announced his retirement as CEO and chairman, to be succeeded by Greg Brown.[28] In 2024, Udemy announced that it would be cutting the percentage of revenues that academic labor received.[29] By that September, it had laid off 30% of its employees and announced plans to hire in lower-cost regions.[9]
Co-founder Eren Bali returned as chief technology officer in August 2024.[30] He was replaced by Ozzie Goldschmied in June 2025.[31]
In early 2025, it was announced that Hugo Sarrazin would replace Greg Brown as CEO. Shares in the company fell by 8.5% shortly after,[32] before rebounding in the second quarter.[33][34] In June 2025 Udemy acquired the image-generation tool Lummi, with the goal of allowing instructors to add AI-generated content to Udemy courses.[35]
In August 2025, Udemy reported its first positive net income since its IPO.[34] The company also began offering its platform in Arabic.[1]
In December 2025, Coursera agreed to acquire Udemy for about $930 million in equity, valuing the combined company at $2.5 billion.[36].
Products and services
[edit]Udemy is an online education platform that allows instructors to host online courses and upload videos and other educational materials.[37] Courses are offered in various categories, including business, academics, health and fitness, and music,[37][38] with most covering practical subjects, such as AWS and Azure training, Excel software, or using an iPhone camera.[39]
Courses on Udemy can be paid or free, depending on the instructor.[40] In 2015, the top 10 instructors made $17 million in total revenue.[41]
In 2013, Udemy offered an app for Apple iOS.[42] The Android version was launched in 2014.[43] As of January 2014, the iOS app had been downloaded over 1 million times, with 20% of its users accessing their courses via mobile.[44] In 2016, Udemy was also accessible via Apple TV.[45]
Introduced in late 2024, the Udemy AI Assistant is a natural language chat interface integrated into the platform, with a "skills mapping" feature.[46] In August 2025, Udemy launched its Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, which embeds training into enterprise and employee workflows.[47]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Udemy launches AI-powered platform in Arabic as it plans expansion across the Middle East". EdTech Innovation Hub. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
- ^ a b "Udemy Business Launches Courses In Hindi To Expand Effective Skill Development Opportunities In India". ETHRWorld.com. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
- ^ "FUNiX becomes Udemy's strategic partner in Việt Nam". vietnamnews.vn. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
- ^ "Our origins". VentureBeat. June 2, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
- ^ a b "Udemy names Hugo Sarrazin as new CEO as it looks to AI and SaaS expansion". EdTech Innovation.
- ^ a b c d e "Udemy, Inc. 2024 Annual Report (Form 10-K)". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. March 25, 2025.
- ^ "San Francisco tech giant plans to return to the office with AI push, leadership changes". San Francisco Business Times. May 6, 2025. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
- ^ "Learn about Udemy culture, mission, and careers | About Us". Udemy About. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ a b Council, Stephen. "SF ed-tech company worth $1.2B lays off hundreds, will rehire in 'lower cost' places". SFGate.
- ^ Kumar, Arun (September 1, 2025). "Ramji Sundararajan named President of Consumer at Udemy". The American Bazaar. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
- ^ Lomas, Natasha (May 8, 2014). "Online Learning Marketplace Udemy Raises $32M To Scale Up Internationally". TechCrunch. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
- ^ Eren Bali biography. Udemy.com.
- ^ "How Udemy got oversubscribed". Venture Hacks. September 10, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
- ^ Roushe, Wade (August 31, 2010). "Udemy Collects $1 Million to Expand Casual Learning Platform". Xconomy.
- ^ Wauters, Robin (August 31, 2010). "Udemy Scores $1M In Seed Funding, Aims To Democratize Online Learning". TechCrunch. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
- ^ "What You Need to Know About MOOCs". Chronicle of Higher Education. August 8, 2012.
- ^ LEWIN, TAMAR (March 5, 2012). "Instruction for Masses Knocks Down Campus Walls". New York Times.
- ^ Kolodny, Lora (April 22, 2014). "Udemy Appoints Dennis Yang CEO; Eren Bali Steps Aside to Lead Product". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
- ^ Dave Lee (November 30, 2015). "Anger at 'stolen' online courses on Udemy". BBC News. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ Amar Toor (November 29, 2015). "Udemy faces criticism for profiting from pirated online courses". The Verge. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ Team, Udemy Instructor (April 25, 2018). "Udemy is Expanding its Anti-Piracy Efforts". Retrieved October 2, 2025.
- ^ Strickland, Brooke (August 9, 2022). "Gregg Coccari came out of retirement to take Udemy to next level". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
- ^ Adams, Susan. "Udemy Adds More Than $1 Billion To Its Valuation In New Funding Round". Forbes. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
- ^ "Change the World". Fortune. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
- ^ U, Investment (October 17, 2021). "Udemy IPO: EdTech Unicorn Filing Information For Investors". seekingalpha.com. Seeking Alpha. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
- ^ "Form S-1 Registration Statement". www.sec.gov. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ^ "Education-Tech Company Udemy Falls in Debut After $421 Million IPO". Bloomberg.com. October 29, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
- ^ "Udemy Announces CEO Transition". About Udemy. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
- ^ RL Insights (January 8, 2024). "Udemy: Focus On Profitability Via Reduction In Instructor Incentive". seekingalpha.com. Seeking Alpha. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ Ravindranath, Mohana (August 20, 2024). "Carbon Health founder steps back from top role, Kaiser hospitals roll out AI scribe". STAT. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
- ^ Darley, James (June 12, 2025). "Udemy: Ozzie Goldschmied Appointed CTO for AI Strategy Focus". aimagazine.com. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
- ^ Andersen, Ted (March 12, 2025). "Daily Digest: 'Pokémon Go' sold to Saudi-backed company; Udemy names new CEO". SF Business Journal. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ Huřťák, Petr (August 12, 2025). "5 Revealing Analyst Questions From Udemy's Q2 Earnings Call". Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
- ^ a b "Udemy Q2 2025 earnings show enterprise strength, first profit under new CEO | ETIH EdTech News". EdTech Innovation Hub. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
- ^ "Udemy acquires AI stock image creator Lummi to enhance its courses with AI-generated designs and illustrations". EdTech Innovation Hub. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
- ^ Sriram, Akash (December 17, 2025). "Coursera to buy Udemy, creating $2.5 billion firm to target AI training". Reuters. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ a b "Udemy Review". PCMAG. February 14, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
- ^ "E-learning: Udemy lance une offre pour les professionnels". Le Monde Informatique. March 16, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
- ^ Finder, Alan (September 25, 2013). "A Surge in Growth for a New Kind of Online Course". New York Times. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- ^ Empson, Rip (April 3, 2013). "With Over 6,000 Courses Now Live, Udemy Brings Its Learning Marketplace To iOS To Let You Study On The Go". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
- ^ Groden, Claire (June 22, 2016). "Udemy's Exodus, Amazon's Gain". Inverse. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- ^ Grant, Rebecca (April 2, 2013). "Udemy's new iOS app turns your phone into a 24-hour classroom". VentureBeat. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
- ^ Farr, Christina (January 15, 2014). "Udemy launches its Android app to bring you online education on the go". VentureBeat.
- ^ Hockenson, Lauren (January 15, 2014). "Udemy brings its education marketplace to Android". Gigaom. Archived from the original on January 17, 2014.
- ^ Reisinger, Don (September 14, 2022). "The best Apple TV apps and games right now". Tom's Guide. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
- ^ "Udemy introduces AI assistant and skills mapping to support enterprise workforce development".
- ^ "Udemy's AI-Powered Reskilling Platform: A Strategic Powerhouse in the Enterprise AI Revolution". Ainvest. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Official website

- Business data for Udemy:
