With the merger of both companies Coursera aims to leverage the skills needed in the AI age.
Online education platform Coursera has announced plans to acquire its rival, edtech company Udemy, in an all-stock transaction. The combined equity of which would stand at approximately $2.5bn.
According to Coursera, the acquisition will enable the organisation to bolster its offerings in the AI-era. The platform has stated that it intends to focus on both companies’ complementary objectives, combining their strengths in upskilling, workforce training and promoting career advancement
“The move will also enable Coursera to establish a “Comprehensive ecosystem of world-class instructors, encompassing faculty at leading universities, industry leaders, and global subject matter experts, while equipping them with AI-enhanced tools [and] data-driven insights.”
By combining, Coursera aims to further expand its global operations but also to leverage the need for advanced skills among global professionals, particularly for employment in fields that require software know-how, artificial intelligence (AI) and data science.
Commenting on the announcement Greg Hart, the CEO of Coursera said, “We’re at a pivotal moment in which AI is rapidly redefining the skills required for every job across every industry. Organisations and individuals around the world need a platform that is as agile as the new and emerging skills learners must master.
“By combining the highly complementary strengths of Coursera and Udemy, we will be in an even stronger position to address the global talent transformation opportunity, unlock a faster pace of innovation, and deliver valuable experiences and outcomes for our learners and customers.
“Together, we will ensure our millions of learners, thousands of enterprise, university, and government customers, and expert instructors have a platform to keep pace with technology acceleration.”
Udemy’s CEO added, “For more than 15 years, Udemy has helped millions of people master in-demand skills at the speed of innovation. Through this combination with Coursera, we will create meaningful benefits for our learners, enterprise customers, and instructors, while delivering significant value to our shareholders, who will participate in the substantial upside potential of the combined company.
“As a united platform, we can accelerate our AI-powered product roadmap, expand our global reach through enhanced go-to-market capabilities, and unlock substantial revenue and operating synergies that will strengthen our long-term financial profile.”
The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors at both Coursera and Udemy and is expected to close by the second half of 2026, subject to various closing conditions. Greg Hart will continue as the CEO of the combined company and the board of directors of the combined company will consist of nine directors, six from the Coursera board and three from the Udemy board.
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