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Comment by latenightcoding | Hacker News Reader

You just don't get it. I can afford to pay for a MOOC and I would consider it, but there are millions of people who can't afford it.

Coursera's about page used to say this: "committed to making the best education in the world freely available to any person who seeks it".

Now they have removed every instance of the word "free" https://www.coursera.org/about/

Nothing wrong with being a for-profit company, but they went from optional paid certificates to deleting old MOOCs and making new ones exclusive for those willing to pay, every day their monetization tactics get more aggressive.

Also check this video from 3 years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUO3Pk0nOCM

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Despite the changes, the financial aid option (100% off) is still running. https://learner.coursera.help/hc/en-us/articles/209819033-Ap...

Capitalism, aye. Is this Shirky's Law in action?

So? They have changed their business model. They're entitled to do so.

If you care so much about the poor, you might as well subsidize a MOOC for them, instead of demanding Coursera to do so.

And people are "entitled" to criticize them on the Internet.

Sheesh, people really over-dramatize Hacker News threads. We aren't a legislative chamber debating a bill. We're an assortment of techno-hipster liberals and wannabe-entrepreneur libertarians, commenting on (often trivial) current events over coffee on a Saturday morning. The moral outrage-over-the-outrage-over-the-outrage-over-the-outrage gets comical after the first couple recursions.

And people are also entitled to criticize the criticizers.

How is that for an outrage over an outrage? :)

So it makes me sad and I am expressing my opinion on a public forum. I don't have enough money to subsidize MOOCs for the poor but if you come up with another useless idea I am sure you will let me know.

"Coursera is entitled to do X" is not meaningful criticism, though, when you are responding to a moral argument. It's like when people respond to "you are being an asshole" with "it's my right to." Well, sure, but you're still being an asshole.

Wow, your response is in no way meaningful. Your response adds exactly nothing to the discussion. Nobody "demanded" anything.

I think they will change to monetize everything very soon. Right now is the transisition period where by you still able to seek for financial aid and get approved.

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