There has been a constant allegation that Lambda School sells its ISAs and therefore no longer has incentives that are aligned with students. The assertion is that, in “Big Short” style, we sell off all the risk of our students being placed to someone else and don’t have to care about outcomes.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
When Lambda School finances ISAs here’s how it works:
We get together with investors and say, “Based on past performance, we predict this ISA will be worth $x.” We can then receive an advance of $x, minus interest and a possible margin of error.
Importantly:
1. That amount needs to be paid back, plus interest. 2. If the value of the ISAs ends up being less than predicted, either we have to reimburse investors for the loss, or we won’t be able to continue borrowing in the future.
This is not a unique or predatory structure in any way.
If a student drops out, doesn’t get hired, or doesn’t pay back, Lambda School makes less money. If a student does great, gets hired, and pays back quickly, Lambda School makes more money.
This is not a scandal, and holds true to incentive alignment in any way. Lambda School remains entirely aligned with its students.