Codecademy

Codecademy
Codecademy homepage on July 13, 2018
Type of businessSubsidiary
Headquarters,
Area servedWorldwide
Founder(s)Zach Sims, Ryan Bubinski
IndustryInternet
Employees109[1]
ParentSkillsoft
URLwww.codecademy.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationYes
Users45 million (April 2020)[2]
Current statusUp

Codecademy is an American online interactive platform that offers free coding classes in 12 different programming languages including Python, Java, Go, JavaScript, Ruby, SQL, C++, C#, and Swift, as well as markup languages HTML and CSS.[3][4] The site also offers a paid "Pro" option that gives users access to personalized learning plans, quizzes, and realistic projects.[5]

The platform provides a hands-on learning experience, allowing users to write and execute code directly within their web browsers. Codecademy offers courses covering languages such as Python, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, and Ruby, as well as specialized topics like web development, data science, and machine learning.

The platform offers both free and paid subscription options. A paid subscription provides access to additional features and content.

History

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Codecademy was founded in August 2011 by Zach Sims and Ryan Bubinski.[6] Sims dropped out of Columbia University to focus on launching a venture, and Bubinski graduated from Columbia in 2011.[7] The company, headquartered in New York City, raised $2.5 million in Series A funding in October 2011 and $10 million in Series B funding in June 2012.[6][8] The latest round of funding was led by Index Ventures.[9]

In August 2015, Codecademy partnered with the White House, working to host in-person meet-ups for 600 students from disadvantaged women and minority groups over a twelve-month period.[10][11]

By August 2017, Codecademy's CEO Zach Sims officially announced the launch of the new paid "Pro" product.[12] A "Pro Intensive" paid offering was also launched in August 2017[13] but as of 2020 this product appears to no longer be offered.

In December 2021, Skillsoft announced that it would acquire Codecademy for approximately $525 million in cash and stock.[14] The sale was closed on April 5, 2022.[15]

Partnerships

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In August 2017, Codecademy partnered with Amazon for free Alexa skills training.[16][17]

By October 2018, the company employed 85 people, up from 45 in 2016.[18] It had also raised $42.5 million from groups such as Union Square Ventures and Naspers.[18]

By January 2020, Codecademy had expanded to a suite of languages including C++, C#, Go, Java, JavaScript, Ruby, PHP, Python, R, Swift, and SQL, as well as various libraries, frameworks, and associated subjects.[19] According to their roadmap,[20] Codecademy is slated to release Android Development, ASP.NET, Flask, Kotlin, and TypeScript courses in 2019.

Features

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The platform also provides courses for learning command line and Git.[3] In September 2015, Codecademy, in partnership with Periscope, added a series of courses designed to teach SQL, the predominant programming language for database queries.[21] In October 2015, Codecademy created a new course, a class on Java programming. As of January 2014, the site had over 24 million users who had completed over 100 million exercises.[22][23][24] The site has received positive reviews from The New York Times[25] and TechCrunch.[26]

As part of the Computer Science Education Week held in December 2013, Codecademy launched its first iOS app called "Hour of Code". The app focuses on the basics of programming, including the same content from the website.[27]

In April 2019, Codecademy partnered with Adafruit for a course on electronics and hardware programming.[28]

In December 2019, Codecademy launched a new course on Swift, a language developed by Apple Inc. for iOS, watchOS, macOS, tvOS, and more.

Codecademy Pro

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On August 3, 2017, Codecademy Pro was released. It has three levels:[29]

  1. Codecademy Pro
  2. Codecademy Pro Intensive
  3. Codecademy Pro Mentors[30]

Codecademy Pro costs $39.99 per month, or annually at $239.88 per year ($19.99 per month).[31]

Code Year

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Code Year was a free incentive Codecademy program intended to help people follow through on a New Year's Resolution to learn how to program, by introducing a new course for every week in 2012.[32] Over 450,000 people took courses in 2012,[33][34] and Codecademy continued the program into 2013. Even though the course is still available, the program has stopped.

Awards

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  • Best Education Startup, Crunchies Awards 2012[35]
  • Skillies Technology Award 2015[36]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Codecademy – About the Company". Codecademy. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  2. ^ "Celebrating 100,000 Scholarships for Students Around the World". Codecademy. April 15, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Codecademy". Codecademy. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  4. ^ Indvik, Lauren (October 4, 2012). "Codeacademy Releases Free Ruby Development Courses". Mashable. Mashable. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  5. ^ "Introducing Codecademy Pro". Codecademy. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "30 Under 30: Zach Sims and Ryan Bubinski, Codecademy". Inc.com. July 2, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  7. ^ Segall, Laurie (November 29, 2011). "Codecademy says it can turn anyone into a Web programmer – Nov. 29, 2011". Money.cnn.com. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  8. ^ Wortham, Jenna (October 27, 2011). "Codecademy Lands $2.5 Million From Investors - NYTimes.com". Bits.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  9. ^ "Codecademy, the free online coding school, raises another $30M led by Naspers". TechCrunch. July 12, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  10. ^ "Codecademy Partners With The White House". Codecademy. August 10, 2015. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  11. ^ "Fact Sheet: President Obama Announces New Commitments from Investors, Companies, Universities, and Cities to Advance Inclusive Entrepreneurship at First-Ever White House Demo Day". The White House, White House Office of the Press Secretary. August 4, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  12. ^ "Codecademy Pro: Learn resume-ready skills to advance your career". Product Hunt. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  13. ^ "Codecademy adds new intensive options to help beginners learn code quicker". The Next Web. The Next Web. August 3, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  14. ^ "Skillsoft to Acquire Codecademy, a Leading Platform for Learning High-Demand Technical Skills, Creating a Worldwide Community of More Than 85 Million Learners" (Press release). Skillsoft. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  15. ^ "Skillsoft Completes Acquisition of Codecademy" (Press release). Skillsoft Corp. April 5, 2022 – via Business Wire.
  16. ^ "Amazon and Codecademy team up for free Alexa skills training | VentureBeat". venturebeat.com. September 25, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  17. ^ Rubin, Ben Fox. "What Amazon Alexa pays the people building its skills". CNET. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  18. ^ a b Loizos, Connie (October 5, 2018). "As some pricey coding camps fade away, Codecademy barrels ahead with affordable paid offerings and a new mobile app". TechCrunch.
  19. ^ "Codecademy Full Course Catalog". Codecademy. Codecademy. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  20. ^ "Codecademy Release Roadmap". Trello. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  21. ^ "Codecademy teams with Periscope to create a course that'll teach you SQL". VentureBeat. September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  22. ^ Summers, Nick (January 2, 2014). "Codecademy surpasses 24 million unique users for its free online coding courses". The Next Web. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  23. ^ Frier, Sarah. "Codecademy Raises $10M, Sees Job Service as Part of Its Future". Bloomberg. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  24. ^ Kafka, Peter. "Codecademy Rounds Up $10 Million for Web Lessons". Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  25. ^ Wortham, Jenna (September 14, 2011). "Codecademy Offers Free Coding Classes for Aspiring Entrepreneurs". The New York Times. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  26. ^ Cincaid, Jason (August 23, 2011). "Codecademy Surges To 200,000 Users, 2.1 Million Lessons Completed In 72 Hours". TechCrunch. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  27. ^ Summers, Nick (December 9, 2013). "Codecademy: Hour of Code app for the iPhone lets you learn basic programming anytime, anywhere". The Next Web. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  28. ^ "Learn Hardware Programming with CircuitPython | Adafruit". adafruit.com. April 15, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  29. ^ "Online learning startup Codecademy launches paid Pro courses". TechCrunch. August 3, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  30. ^ Hughes, Matthew (August 3, 2017). "Codecademy adds new intensive options to help beginners learn code quicker". The Next Web. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  31. ^ "Codecademy". PCMag Australia. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  32. ^ Segall, Laurie (January 6, 2012). "Code Year draws 200,000 aspiring programmers – Jan. 6, 2012". Money.cnn.com. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  33. ^ "Learning JavaScript With Code Year " Feld Thoughts Feld Thoughts". Feld.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  34. ^ Codecademy. "Code Year". Codecademy. Archived from the original on January 3, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  35. ^ "Codecademy – Best Education Startup at The 2012 Crunchies Awards". TechCrunch. January 31, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  36. ^ "Codecademy: Winner Skillies Technology Award". SkilledUp. September 3, 2015. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
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