Conventional startup wisdom is to focus intensely and not get distracted. Coursera was the largest edtech IPO of the decade and is projecting $400M in 2021 revenue. It got there not by focusing, but by staying distracted. Coursera started with free MOOCs, then built a certificates business, then an enterprise business followed by an online degrees business. All this happened within 3-4 years. Running 3 product units in a small company was grueling. Every strategic planning session was jammed with agitation around resource tradeoffs. All employees, from executive to new grads, lamented the lack of focus. Ultimately though, those bets paid off. Coursera is a successful business precisely because of the ecosystem it created.
I see the parallels here. Interesting.
Sidenote: I'm curious about this part
> Ultimately though, those bets paid off.. Coursera is a successful business...
IPO is one way to measure, but is it successful for its students? Is it good for the world?