2025’s Online Education Shakeup Claims Another: Skillshare’s CEO Departs

2025 is proving to be a tough year for CEOs at online education companies. Following changes at Coursera and Udemy, it’s now Skillshare’s turn to appoint a new CEO.

I learned about this when Matt Cooper announced his departure on LinkedIn. He had been with the company for almost nine years, serving first as COO before becoming CEO. Although Skillshare published a press release, its official channels have been quiet, and its press page hasn’t been updated since July 2023, a small telling signal that something isn’t right

Think of Skillshare as Udemy’s creative cousin, offering courses that focus on hands-on projects in areas like design, photography, animation, and video. It operates on a subscription-only model, which costs $168 per year in the United States.

Skillshare’s new CEO, Paul Slavin, is a former senior executive at ABC News. The press release provides more details about his background.

In recent months, I noticed another potential sign of trouble: some Skillshare courses started appearing on Coursera. When a platform lists its courses with a larger competitor, it’s a clear indication that it is likely struggling for revenue and is willing to sacrifice brand exclusivity for greater reach.

Skillshare’s last major strategic play was its acquisition of Superpeer last year. This move has allowed the company to expand its offerings beyond online classes to include 1-on-1 coaching and a shop for digital products like brushes, ebooks, guides, and workbooks. The company has also been livestreaming on YouTube, though viewership for these videos is typically in the low hundreds.

As far as I can tell, none of these have produced results that would satisfy a VC-backed company, so as Matt Cooper said in his LinkedIn note, “It’s time for new leadership, fresh ideas, and the next chapter.”

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