Course creator reports AI-driven decline in developer education sales
Josh W. Comeau cites AI as the primary factor behind a roughly one-third drop in course sales and a broader revenue decline of more than 50% among peers.
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- A course creator reports his new course is on track to sell roughly one-third as many copies as a typical launch, attributing the decline to AI.
- He describes a "double whammy": prospective students delay learning new skills due to job security concerns and substitute free LLM-based tutoring for paid courses.
- He and other creators report revenue down more than 50% and reduced engagement, with LLMs "slurping up" their work without consent or compensation.
Josh W. Comeau reports that his third course, Whimsical Animations, is on track to sell roughly one-third as many copies as a typical launch, and that sales of his two existing courses are down significantly from last year.
He attributes the decline primarily to AI, describing a "double whammy": prospective students are reluctant to invest in new developer skills due to concerns about job security, and many now use LLMs for personalized tutoring instead of purchasing paid courses.
Comeau adds that he has spoken with other course creators who report similar trends: revenue down more than 50%, fewer people engaging with their content, and users turning to LLMs that "slurp up all of our work and regurgitate it, without consent or compensation."
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