The $2.5B Coursera-Udemy merger is being driven by AI speed

The need to train people in AI at a faster pace is driving the multibillion-dollar merger between tech education giants Udemy and Coursera.

The merger, announced this week, is valued at $2.5 billion and will close in the second half of 2026, subject to approval by regulators and shareholders.

The combined entity will reach a combined 270 million learners. Udemy has credibility in the enterprise marketplace with 17,000 customers. Coursera is more popular among consumers with 191 million learners. 

The merger isn’t about aggregating learning content, said Coursera  CEO Greg Hart said during a call to explain the merger. “Until now, our companies have been building parallel tracks, investing separately in duplicative features and tools like AI tutors, authoring personalization and assessments,” Hart said.

“When you combine Udemy’s enterprise AI-powered reskilling platform and dynamic marketplace with Coursera’s academic rigor, you create a platform that adapts to industry needs in real time with valuable credentials,” said Udemy CEO Hugo Sarrazin said.

AI is automating repetitive jobs previously done by humans, who are now under pressure to upskill to be “AI ready.” About 39% of the workers’ core skills will become outdated by 2030, the World Economic Forum said in a recent study.

Many training programs now take so long they’re already outdated by the time employees finish them, Michelle Vaz, managing director of AWS Training and Certification program at Amazon, said in a research note this week. “The most successful companies will shift to rapid, bite-sized learning cycles that mirror the cadence of AI innovation, enabling employees to upskill in real time instead of playing catch-up,” she wrote.

AI skills in job postings are up 5% compared to the same time in 2024, said Kye Mitchell, head of Experis North America, a division of services firm ManpowerGroup.

The combined Udemy and Coursera will “build a unified system of record that allows leaders to benchmark, develop, and track the skills of their talent across every stage of their career,” Hart said.

Udemy’s content engine captures trends at the speed of innovation, which helps enterprises upskill employees at the speed of AI. Coursera’s Hart believes Udemy’s offerings are complementary to its career-focused courses offered in some top universities and by industry leaders.

“Udemy has built a large enterprise business powered by the world’s most dynamic marketplace for practical skills development,” Hart said.

The combined offering will upskill people into career pathways, with plans to also focus on individual skill development and certifications.

“We’ve made progress, but we need to move faster,” Hart said. “Sharing product and data investments accelerates our roadmap to become a truly AI-powered skills-acceleration platform for the global workforce.”

The executives also talked about the industry moving to subscription-based pricing for consumer revenue.

“On the consumer side, obviously, we’ve had strength on the subscription side of our business with it representing more than 50% of our consumer revenue…,” Hart said. “And that’s something that Udemy has started to move in that direction as well.”The $2.5B Coursera-Udemy merger is being driven by AI speed – ComputerworldRead More