Coursera CEO: We Can Be 'Financially Viable' Within Five Years

Apr 13, 2014

THE COURSE TO SUSTAINABILITY: In a Q&A with the NY Times, Coursera CEO Richard Levin explains how today's online learning landscape is different from that in 2000, when he (as Yale's president) got involved in a $12 million venture-backed online learning non-profit, All-Learn. (Here's a recap of the now-defunct effort between Yale, Stanford and Oxford--a precursor to today's MOOC providers.) And his response to the nagging question over making money: "I think we can become financially viable certainly within that five-year framework." He adds:

We think that as the idea of using Coursera courses for professional advancement grows, the numbers seeking certificates will grow. And the price we charge probably can grow, too. A move from $50 or $60 for Signature Track to $100 is certainly imaginable. At $100 a pop, if you had two or three, or five million people. ...

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