Code.org President Steps Down Citing 'Upending' of CS By AI 15
Long-time Slashdot reader theodp writes:
Last July, as Microsoft pledged $4 billion to advance AI education in K-12 schools, Microsoft President Brad Smith told nonprofit Code.org CEO/Founder Hadi Partovi it was time to "switch hats" from coding to AI. He added that "the last 12 years have been about the Hour of Code, but the future involves the Hour of AI." On Friday, Code.org announced leadership changes to make it so.
"I am thrilled to announce that Karim Meghji will be stepping into the role of President & CEO," Partovi wrote on LinkedIn. "Having worked closely with Karim over the last 3.5 years as our CPO, I have complete confidence that he possesses the perfect balance of historical context and 'founder-level' energy to lead us into an AI-centric future."
In a separate LinkedIn post, Code.org co-founder Cameron Wilson explained why he was transitioning to an executive advisor role. "Our community is entering a new chapter as AI changes and upends computer science as a discipline and society at large. Code.org's mission is still the same, however, we are starting a new chapter focused on ensuring students can thrive in the Age of AI. This new chapter will bring new opportunities, new problems to solve, and new communities to engage."
The Code.org leadership changes come just weeks after Code.org confirmed laid off about 14% of its staff, explaining it had "made the difficult decision to part ways with 18 colleagues as part of efforts to ensure our long-term sustainability." January also saw Code.org Chief Academic Officer Pat Yongpradit jump to Microsoft where he now helps "lead Microsoft's global strategy to put people first in an age of AI by shaping education and workforce policy" as a member of Microsoft's Global Education and Workforce Policy team.
"I am thrilled to announce that Karim Meghji will be stepping into the role of President & CEO," Partovi wrote on LinkedIn. "Having worked closely with Karim over the last 3.5 years as our CPO, I have complete confidence that he possesses the perfect balance of historical context and 'founder-level' energy to lead us into an AI-centric future."
In a separate LinkedIn post, Code.org co-founder Cameron Wilson explained why he was transitioning to an executive advisor role. "Our community is entering a new chapter as AI changes and upends computer science as a discipline and society at large. Code.org's mission is still the same, however, we are starting a new chapter focused on ensuring students can thrive in the Age of AI. This new chapter will bring new opportunities, new problems to solve, and new communities to engage."
The Code.org leadership changes come just weeks after Code.org confirmed laid off about 14% of its staff, explaining it had "made the difficult decision to part ways with 18 colleagues as part of efforts to ensure our long-term sustainability." January also saw Code.org Chief Academic Officer Pat Yongpradit jump to Microsoft where he now helps "lead Microsoft's global strategy to put people first in an age of AI by shaping education and workforce policy" as a member of Microsoft's Global Education and Workforce Policy team.
This is a fundamental problem with education (Score:5, Interesting)
It's almost like Code.org is and always was just a shill for industry messaging.
I worked in K-12 education for a long time. And one of the things that genuinely shocked me is how much curriculum is in fact just sponsored by giant corporations.
Seriously, virtually any time you see someone advocating in K-12 education for something like "skills students will need for jobs" just look, and you don't have to look very hard, at who's funding it. It's disappointing every time.
Re:This is a fundamental problem with education (Score:5, Insightful)
I worked in K-12 education for a long time. And one of the things that genuinely shocked me is how much curriculum is in fact just sponsored by giant corporations.
The especially concerning/scary thing this time is that what the giant corporations want is to make computing seem like "magic." Make a wish into the wishing well that is AI, and what you will receive will be what you wished for ... provided, of course, you keep paying the corporation for the privilege of having your wishes granted.
Never mind having the actual skill, talent, understanding, etc. to make your wishes come true yourself. Just pay, wish, and it will be yours ... and never mind anyone who tells you it used to be possible to get what you want to achieve without paying a giant corporation. Just keep wishing, lean how to wish big, and your wishes will come true.
This seems like the antithesis of how anyone who considers themselves an educator should think.
And the really sad part is they're not just saying this to CS students. They're saying it to writers and journalists, artists, musicians ... basically anyone whose job doesn't involve a hammer, a shovel, or a stove.
Re: This is a fundamental problem with education (Score:2)
Just one small clump on top of the shit pile that is America.
Code.org finanicals show a decline (Score:2)
58% decline in Code.org's income (from donations) - $42 million in donations in 2023 and $18 million in 2024.
And a net loss of$1.2 million in 2024.
From Propublica nonprofit explorer's nonprofit IRS tax filings for Code.org
https://projects.propublica.or... [propublica.org]
demographic decline and AI (Score:2)
Guessing that Code.org's mission of "everyone needs to learn how to code" is adversely affected by declining number of 5 to 25 year olds and AI hyping the reduced need for software developers.
Re: (Score:2)
FYI. Code.org opted to change its fiscal year from Dec. 31 to Aug. 31, so the two filings you looked at respectively cover 12 and 8 months. Also, revenue for nonprofits, especially those reliant on donations, is often seasonal, making this even more of an apples-to-oranges comparison. In any event, Code.org reported $75 million in assets at fiscal year-end in their latest public filing, so they weren't exactly looking for where their next dollar was coming from despite the negative net income for that year.
What nonsense (Score:2)
CS is not affected at all. IT little affected, at best. Coding may be affected a bit more, but not nearly as much as generally claimed. The only coders that will see their jobs vanish are the crappy ones. But crappy code is all "AI" can do at this time and for the foreseeable future.
Re: What nonsense (Score:2)
GOOD. (Score:5, Informative)
Hopefully, this will make all the "everyone needs to learn to code" bullshit go away. Sure, it'll be replaced with AI but when the AI bubble pops then we'll be right back where we started.
That right there is the problem (Score:4, Insightful)
... "lead Microsoft's global strategy to put people first in an age of AI by shaping education and workforce policy" as a member of Microsoft's Global Education and Workforce Policy team.
Not only is it not the job of private corporations to 'shape (public) education', they should be enjoined from doing so under penalty of having the corporation dissolved. I've had it with this 'corporate personhood' mechanism being extended to give corporations even greater rights and power than parents have when it comes to creating educational policy.
Anybody who doesn't have children or grandchildren in school should have no say regarding curriculum. And no, that doesn't mean that corporations get a seat at the table because their C-suite occupants have kids. The private sector must be forcefully and diligently excluded from decision making in public education.
Corporations are the privileged servants of society, and it's time they were forcefully reminded of it. If that takes ruinous fines, imprisonment, or even the shedding of a little blood, so be it. It's long past time for the arrogant tail to stop wagging the submissive dog.
Re: (Score:2)
... "lead Microsoft's global strategy to put people first in an age of AI by shaping education and workforce policy" as a member of Microsoft's Global Education and Workforce Policy team.
Not only is it not the job of private corporations to 'shape (public) education', they should be enjoined from doing so under penalty of having the corporation dissolved. I've had it with this 'corporate personhood' mechanism being extended to give corporations even greater rights and power than parents have when it comes to creating educational policy.
Anybody who doesn't have children or grandchildren in school should have no say regarding curriculum.
I'm going to disagree in a general sense while agreeing that lots of what we've got is bad.
If we want kids to be able to get jobs that pay well immediately, they need marketable skills when they hit the job market. Very few parents and grandparents have insights on what skills are needed for entry level employees and will result in "it was good enough for me 20 years ago" retro-curriculums.
So we need data from companies on what skills are lacking in the job market in a timeline that can impact high school s
Re: (Score:2)
Thanks - I agree with most of what you said, and reading it has clarified my own thoughts and feelings. I think what bothers me most is the high-handedness, lack of consultation and collaboration, and lack of discipline on the part of the tech sector when it comes to attempting to manage public education. I especially like
...the private sector shouldn't dominate the discourse and force particular skills, especially skills that only benefit one sector. Educators should extract the generally applicable concepts and core skills that are appropriate to be applied to the whole student base, vs those that should be a dedicated track.
That said, I blame the corporate sector - and tech in particular - for promoting a system in which more and more control of society is in private hands. It may not seem obvious, but I thi
K-12 schools are dropping and you want to push AI (Score:2)
Lack of consequences... (Score:2)
So a bunch of companies took a bunch of educational time to teach a bunch of children skills that were obsolete before the children even graduated from high school? And now they're pivoting to teaching this weeks new tech fad with no concept for whether or not it'll be obsolete in a decade also? Are there consequences for this kind of antisocial behavior?
Reading, writing, thinking, math, finance are basic skills that every child needs to have IMHO. They aren't made obsolete by a where the tech bros are in