The co-founder of the high-end skills class startup Masterclass has launched a new education company called Outlier.org. Despite .org the domain, it's a for-profit venture that aims to replace universities' introductory-level courses with highly-produced educational online content.
"I think that the first two years of college — so the first 25 courses — amount to about a $50 billion-a-year spend by students. In those first two years, the brand name really doesn't matter that much. They're very skills-based competencies that you're going for," the company's founder and CEO Aaron Rasmussen told Cheddar.
"There are a million students a year taking Calculus I at an average of $2,500 per course. That means Calculus I is a $2.5 billion a year industry, and 40 percent of those students fail. So we're wasting a billion dollars a year."
In addition to video lectures, Outlier promises interactive content, unlimited practice questions, and a full refund of the $400 per-class price if the students don't pass. Outlier says its course credits are granted by the University of Pittsburgh, making them transferable to other schools (that recognizes that university's credits).
Class can be taken at any time and from anywhere, but the company says that students will be matched to study groups based on their time zones. The courses will begin this fall with two classes: introductory psychology and introductory calculus.
Students also have the option to switch between lecturers and styles. For instance, calculus students will be able to watch lectures from the British mathematician Hannah Fry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology doctoral student John Urschel (also a retired Baltimore Ravens football player), and Professor Tim Chartier at Davidson College.
But why would the top schools help facilitate a startup that aims to eat up its bread-and-butter introductory courses?
"It's probably not going to affect the top 100 universities that much. In fact, not a ton of those students are even taking calculus because they will have taken it in high school. I'm worried about the other 3,500 universities," said Rasmussen.
Nestlé has dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a direct subordinate. The company announced on Monday that the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found that Freixe violated Nestlé’s code of conduct. He had been CEO for a year. Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive, will replace him. Chairman Paul Bulcke stated that the decision was necessary to uphold the company’s values and governance. Navratil began his career with Nestlé in 2001 and has held various roles, including CEO of Nestlé's Nespresso division since 2024.
Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after they joined in a massive merger that created one of the biggest food companies on the planet. One of the companies will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other will include brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables. When the company formed in 2015 it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale, but shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking to introduce healthier options at the table. Kraft Heinz's net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.
