The GSV Big 10: CheggMate or Checkmate?

Here's your weekly coverage corner for the top 10 stories, insights, and major plays in learning and skilling.

#1 Chegg is a harbinger of AI’s disruptive force

The Generative AI wars are a battle between startups acquiring distribution and incumbents acquiring innovation. Chegg’s challenge is that OpenAI is moving at the speed of a startup, but the innovation of an incumbent. 

FT

#2 Eighth-Graders Don’t Know Much About History, Test Scores Show 

As Edmund Burke said, “those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.” Only 13% of eighth-graders met proficiency standards for U.S. history. How do we fix this? We should start by making patriotism a source of pride… not a modern version of being a pariah.

WSJ 

#3 Students increasingly look to politically aligned states when choosing college

1 in 4 students have ruled out attending a university because of the political or legal climate of its location. Universities should be a place where students debate ideas with their peers, not where they form echo chambers across political battle lines. 

Washington Examiner 

#4 You Learn the Value of a College Degree When You Live Without One

Higher ed may be the best way to drive economic mobility… but it shouldn’t be the only way. Even though 72% of employers say they don’t believe a college degree was a great indicator of a person’s skills, more than half still hired candidates from degree programs anyway because it was the “less risky choice.” 

The New York Times 

#5 College Sports Recruiting Shouldn’t Go to the Highest Bidder 

NIL has effectively turned collegiate recruiting into a bidding war. National legislation would put each stakeholder on the same playing field while allowing athletes to monetize their likeness – without monopolizing their college experience. 

RealClearEducation 

#6 Jeff Bezos started a chain of free preschools. What does the Bezos Academy mean for early learning?

Jeff Bezos knows the power of scale impact more than anyone else. Bezos Academy now has 16 preschools across Washington, Texas, and Florida…while paying teachers $20,000 more than the national average.

USA Today 

#7 Everybody is a genius in their own wonderful way 

40% of the world’s greatest innovators and entrepreneurs have dyslexia. While AI can aggregate, dyslexic thinking can innovate. Together, they’re a dynamic duo: 72% of dyslexics see AI tools as a vital starting point for their projects and ideas.

Virgin 

#8 Adults with ADHD See Significant Improvements in Attention, ADHD Symptoms, and Quality of Life in Clinical Trial of Akili’s EndeavorRx® Video Game-Based Therapeutic

There are 3 billion gamers woldwide spending 2 hours a day on average. We’ve been bullish on invisible learning for over a decade. Akili could become the next leader in invisible medicine.

Akili 

#9 Code.org leads "TeachAI" push

AI will empower educators, not eradicate them. Code.org, Khan Academy, ETS, ISTE, and the World Economic Forum are teaming up to make sure that this is the case.

Axios

#10 Post ASU+GSV 2023: Signals Are Pointing to Accelerating Deal Activity for the Education Sector

Although edtech VC funding decreased by 80% from Q1 ‘22 to Q1 ‘23 – the same rate as the general VC market – dealmaking is heating up again as consolidation begins to loom. 

Tyton Partners