Thanks for the note, @MarkTimberl006. A CEO transition is a big change, but for whatever it's worth, I'm highly confident that Udemy's vision, mission, and culture will emerge stronger on the other side. How can I be so confident? Well, Udemy has actually had several CEO transitions over the years -- different leaders for different chapters of growth -- and each time the culture has not only endured, but strenthened. In fact, this is my 4th CEO during my 6 years at Udemy, and while transitions are always delicate, my experience has been that Udemy's strong mission and culture are actually the critical ingredients that have made those transitions (and our business) successful. Our shared mission to improve lives through learning is a powerful cohesive force, and it's created a culture that is strong and very much decentralized. Our culture (both within the company and our shared culture in the global community of instructors and students) isn't the product of a top-down mandate, but rather a resilient federation of passionate individuals. It's a culture that's foundation is bottoms-up -- a shared value system that's reinforced with daily decisions -- one of individual humility but collective pride, mission-inspiration and results-obsession, an earnest effort to create a space for everyone to be their authentic self, a hunger to always be learning (and teaching!), and above all a deep belief in that knowledge (both shared and earned) can and will change lives. When you start with that core, it's much bigger than any one individual. You're certainly also right that with any leadership transition comes a fresh set of eyes, and I'm definitely excited to have Gregg's fresh (and experienced) take on the business. In the meantime, I'm always open to a conversation to get your perspective on specific opportunities and pain points (including review), so feel free to drop me a note if you'd like to chat.
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