Ripping you off Stage 3
Udemy lets anyone teach a course and sell it. Instructors’ ratings and students stay on Udemy, so their audience is hard to move. Since 2024 it has been cutting instructors’ share of subscription revenue, from 25% to 15% by 2026. Squeezing the other side plus lock-in. Coursera agreed to buy it in 2025. Stage 3.
The promise
Its first promise, and how much is kept · Scoring
80% kept
“Take and build online courses on any subject”
Why it’s rated 3
The criteria it meets, with sources · Method
- Alignment 0 of 3
- None
- Lock-in 1 of 4
-
- L1 Network or reputation
- Extraction 1 of 7
-
- E3 Squeezing the other side Nov 2, 2023
- Decline 0 of 3
- None
Result Two or more extraction criteria, or lock-in plus at least one, so stage 3.
News signals
Sourced reporting, tagged by strategy
Dec 17, 2025
Coursera agrees to combine with Udemy in an all-stock deal
Market consolidation
Nov 2, 2023
Udemy cuts instructors’ subscription revenue share from 25% to 15% by 2026
Creator squeezeTake rate