https://preview.redd.it/v9m3hq9xn5uf1.png?width=774&format=png&auto=webp&s=68aff3d48c6ed7d7dff4acc781855f93babc8fba
I see this on each one of those posts
https://preview.redd.it/amvm6bfwk5uf1.png?width=1498&format=png&auto=webp&s=59fcf0aae2c386969b957f21df4810ee1dd25615
I am not deleting your posts, you are being flagged left right and center all over the place by Reddit's algorithms
Believe it or not I've removed my own comments as a Moderator if they have been reported and are being removed for the consistent reasons that others are.
Maybe I'm a weird person but it's very unfair to not hear my side of the story.
Maybe now-suspended fake accounts promoting Codesmith have been egging me on for years to create a paper trail of hundreds of negative comments of me not standing for that behavior.
Conspiracy theories can go both ways. That's why journalist talk to both sides.
I don't really believe in absolutes. I understand the perception. I responded in a 10 part comment in this thread [https://www.reddit.com/r/codingbootcamp/comments/1o1guxj/comment/nikv1ts/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/codingbootcamp/comments/1o1guxj/comment/nikv1ts/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
I don't agree with the perception but I understand that many people feel that way after reading that article.
Part of the disconnect is what those things mean. We're talking about preparing you for FAANG jobs at the senior level.
Codesmith does not prepare you for FAANG senior jobs, does not have deep market understanding for negotiation of those jobs, etc...
That debate IS the 3 year story here and it's more boring and nuanced than sensationalism.
https://preview.redd.it/ass3v0qvv4uf1.png?width=1550&format=png&auto=webp&s=0f6fa4089700d1cb9be2571753d0e4e92959e861
This is what I see. I haven't deleted these?
I know 3 people off the top of my head that did Formation that could have done Codesmith, out of like thousands or so.
They are completely different programs for different people, but everyone is unique and there are some edge cases that overlap.
I explained this all to Codesmith leaders for years (Eric via email, Alina via phone) and I would love nothing if we could get on the same page about what Formation is relative to Codesmith.
Bootcamps are meant for people who aren't software engineers to transition into the industry.
Formation helps engineers in the industry prepare for interviews.
Why am obsessed you mean?
I don't have an answer to that because I feel obsessed with my actual work and have 8000 commits this year I think, and don't use Reddit that often.
Maybe I'm just not aligned here and I need to think about it or process it more.
I have been extremely consistent about my criticisms overall and they are very valid criticisms.
>Codesmith markets itself as a zero -> mid-level bootcamp that turns people with no experience into mid-level and senior engineers. I feel this is bad for the people whether they get those jobs or not. I've seen the struggles of bootcamp grads once in the industry and I think that taking entry level roles and apprenticeships is the right path for these people. This is a very fair opinion but Codesmith feels completely attacked by this.
>Codesmith presents their 3-4 week open source projects as 4 months of mid level software engineer experience. I looked at those projects. Most don't work well, have major bugs, bad code issues, security issues, etc... and I pointed these things out. People fish for "GitHub Stars" Medium clasps, etc... and learn how to hype up their projects, but no one actua…
Why did Rithm shut down then? Why did Hack Reactor and Tech Elevator lay off huge amounts of staff? Why did Launch School cut back to 2 cohorts per year?
And how is Codesmith different and immune to all those effects?
I feel like I've explained this numerous times but I guess there is a new audience now from this post. I have been transparent about this the entire time and the author didn't even mention that and created a new narrative instead.
It's not really fair to summarize '1000 comments' without presenting the consistent arguments I've made in those comments, and instead pulling out the juicy ones.
1. Codesmith markets itself as a zero -> mid-level bootcamp that turns people with no experience into mid-level and senior engineers. I feel this is bad for the people whether they get those jobs or not. I've seen the struggles of bootcamp grads once in the industry and I think that taking entry level roles and apprenticeships is the right path for these people. This is a very fair opinion but Codesmith feels completely attacked by this.
2. Codesmith presents their 3-4 week open source projects as…
PART 10
1. Given your ongoing ownership in Formation, do you accept that your actions could reasonably be viewed as financially motivated?
I don't accept that whatsoever no.
1. Has Formation’s pivot away from bootcamp training coincided with your campaign against Codesmith, and if so, is this related?
Formation never had a bootcamp training model, and never pivoted away from it. We've had the same platform since day one. The target audience has shifted more and more senior. We used to years ago have like 1/3 people bootcamp grads post graduation without work experience, 2/3 of people experienced software engineers. Now we have 99% of people with 2+ years of work experience. Nothing has actually changed internally, same platform, same interview prep, same mentors.
1. How do you respond to the observation that Formation students list their own training on LinkedIn in the same way you…
PART 9
1. Have you ever deleted posts or comments from\*r/codingbootcamp that defended Codesmith or challenged your statements?
I don't remember. I rarely delete posts. If people make provably factually incorrect statements as facts and not opinions is the only time I would consider removing something. Like "It's a fact you beat your spouse" is something that would be removed if there is not evidence of that fact.
The one thing I remember doing is if accounts are later suspended from Reddit and I see their content I I remove it. Sometimes Reddit does this automatically sometimes they don't. This could be biased because I'm more likely to read my own past content and see these there than other places.
1. Have you ever used your moderator privileges to pin or highlight negative material about competitors?
Not that I know of - or at least not with that intention. I consciously allow cr…
PART 8
1. Why did you compare Codesmith to the NXIVM sex cult, and do you consider that comparison proportionate or responsible?
I didn't compare Codesmith to a sex-cult. I commented that someone's reason for going there 'it changed my life and the lives of many others' is something that I hear in cult documentaries on HBO, which I stand by as my opinion.
Codesmith is not a sex-cult.
1. Do you accept that implying cult-like behaviour without evidence may constitute reputational harm?
If you state as a fact or with fraudulent/nefarious intention then that would be wrong to me regardless of harm. I have full right to share my personal opinions on Reddit that are solely my personal opinions through my lens and people can agree or disagree with those opinions.
1. Did you personally research and contact a Codesmith employee’s son on LinkedIn before emailing the company about him, and if…
PART 7
1. How do you reconcile your position as a Reddit moderator for [r/codingbootcamp](https://www.reddit.com/r/codingbootcamp/) with your financial interest as co-founder of Formation, a direct competitor in the same industry (at one time, at least)?
My company is not a direct competitor and was founder after our founder ran an actual bootcamp and say more opportunity helping bootcamp grads from all bootcamps instead of competing. We in fact have positive relationships with Codesmith's direct competitors Rithm (now closed) and Launch School (who recommends us to their grads).
1. Have you disclosed this conflict of interest to Reddit administrators or the community you moderate?
I'm transparent about who I am on here, I use my real name, and I was very active here for a year or two with the same content I have now before I became a mod.
1. Between 2024 and 2025, you posted hundr…
I've posted screenshots.
This sub has above average Reddit filters turned on. Read: [https://www.reddit.com/r/codingbootcamp/comments/1dxraob/moderator\_note\_promoting\_high\_integrity/](https://www.reddit.com/r/codingbootcamp/comments/1dxraob/moderator_note_promoting_high_integrity/)
I completely agree my initial response was a terrible response and edited it quickly. It was a mistake.
I replied an hour ago with 6 part posts going through a list of points from a commenter you should read and I'm not done yet.
In observing bootcamp can't market and seeing all and knowing a bunch of people in the industry, there are some really good things and some really bad things and I feel like the marketing does not align with what I saw in reality and I want to moderate that thanks.
This sub isn't for or against bootcamp, it's about discussing them.
I need a blog post of equal length to explain that and am deciding if I should or not.
Formations's founder Sophie started a bootcamp in 2017.
In 2019 I joined her to start Formation after deciding bootcamps are not a good business model and we wanted to build an interview prep platform to help bootcamp grads land better jobs later on, rather than compete with bootcamps.
The explicit goal and reason we raised funding was to NOT BE A BOOTCAMP.
PART 6
* Independent data from the Council on Integrity in Results Reporting (CIRR) verifies Codesmith’s student outcomes, showing around seventy percent of graduates securing relevant employment within one year and median salaries of approximately $110,000.
CIRR is not independent. It's a 501 6c business group/like a lobbying agency. It's charter is to represent bootcamps.
* Reddit’s Moderator Code of Conduct prohibits moderators from using their position for financial or competitive advantage.
I don't believe I am competing with Codesmith and my commentary hasn't changed from before and after being mod.
* As a co-founder and equity holder of Formation, Novati stood to benefit financially from reputational harm caused to a rival institution. This represents a direct conflict of interest and a potential breach of the moderation code.
I don't agree with this at all. We work with boo…
PART 5
* Prospective students withdrew applications after encountering the negative threads on Reddit.
* Codesmith’s revenue declined by approximately eighty percent, with about half of that attributed directly to the sustained Reddit campaign.
I can't comment on the number of applications because I don't know the exact numbers, but I'm curious how many this actually is.
The article grossly overstates the impact of Reddit on their funnel and understates the impact of the market. Their main competitor entirely shut down and their other main competitor is scaling back. For all I know all the talk about Codesmith kept their numbers UP when they would have shut down otherwsie.
* The company’s headcount fell from seventy to fifteen employees.
I believe this is true and the entire industry has experienced huge layoffs of similar magnitudes - and entire shutdowns.
* Founder and former C…
PART 4
* Formation students have been shown to list their own training in a similar fashion on their CVs, which undermines the basis of Novati’s criticism.
They do not in general. The example used was from 5 years ago when someone who did project based work at Formation that hasn't been offered for a while. Of the small number of people that list Formation, the vast majority, it's clear from the descriptions what it is. Codesmith students are crafted to appear like jobs and it's so bad we had to train our team to recognize Codesmith experience and not count it.
* Across numerous threads, Novati used overlapping or contradictory accusations to generate confusion and impede fact-checking.
This is a generalization. I protect the individuals that talk to me so I don't show their DMs.
* He deleted comments, including his own, to distort the visible record of conversations and to suggest…
PART 3
* He made repeated allegations of nepotism against a Codesmith employee after discovering that the employee’s wife had completed a one-time contract with the company and that their son later enrolled as a student.
I made that claim once or twice.
* Novati researched the son’s LinkedIn profile, referred to him publicly in Reddit threads, and contacted Codesmith executives directly by email to repeat his allegations.
This is not correct no. A GitHub project I saw just happened to have the person on it that I recognized the last name of and I looked at their LinkedIn. I then emailed executives about it because his dad is the lead career/negotiation advisor and I figured it he likely looked over his son's resume and LinkedIn that contained significant exaggerations.
* He subsequently advanced claims that Codesmith students were falsifying résumés through their participation in “o…
PART 2
* From that position, Novati began posting extensively about a direct competitor, Codesmith. Over a period of 487 days, he published 425 negative comments or posts referencing the company—an average of almost one per day.
Not true. I posted about Codesmith extensively prior to becoming a mod. I don't have a count, but a number of the comments are on spiraling threads with dozens of comments. I think the heat map of commenting on a given day is more telling.
* Approximately ninety percent of his statements concerning Codesmith were negative in sentiment.
I don't agree with that. I write multi paragraph comments with lots of sentiments in them. My overall tone has been increasingly negative since September 2024.
* Threads originating from r/codingbootcamp subsequently began ranking highly on Google searches for “Codesmith,” often displaying titles such as “Codesmith is an enorm…
PART 1 (there are comment length limits so going to reply in pieces)
HISTORY:
* Novati left Facebook in 2017.
In 2009, Novati joined Facebook as a software engineer, progressing rapidly to the level of Principal Engineer (E7). He has publicly recounted a story about a game of Risk in which he deliberately betrayed Mark Zuckerberg, framing it as an example of “strategic thinking.” The anecdote offers an early insight into his competitive approach to professional relationships.
The Risk story is true. I don't agree with the characterization.
* Novati left Facebook in 2017.
True.
* In 2019, he co-founded the coding bootcamp Formation with his wife, Sophie Novati, who assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer. Novati became Chief Technology Officer.
Not true. Sophie started a free coding bootcamp in 2017 called Buildschool. She realized that coding bootcamps were not a scalable bus…