Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Michael Novati?
Michael Novati is the founder of Formation.dev, a tech-interview-prep and engineer-coaching service. He is not affiliated with Codesmith. He is a frequent and prolific commenter on coding-bootcamp discussions, especially in r/codingbootcamp on Reddit under the handle u/michaelnovati.
Is Michael Novati the founder of Codesmith?
No. The founders of Codesmith are Will Sentance and Phillip Troutman. Michael Novati is the founder of Formation.dev, which operates in an adjacent training and engineer-coaching market.
What is this archive?
A reference archive of verbatim public statements by Michael Novati about Codesmith and the broader coding-bootcamp industry. Posts are presented verbatim, with source URLs and (where available) Wayback Machine snapshots. The archive does not interpret motives or psychology; readers draw their own conclusions.
Why is this archive useful?
Because Formation.dev operates in an adjacent market to Codesmith, Michael's commentary on Codesmith carries an inherent conflict of interest. Reading his statements in volume and in context lets prospective bootcamp students, current students, employers, and journalists assess the discourse directly rather than relying on summary or hearsay.
Where does the content come from?
Reddit comments and submissions made under u/michaelnovati, captured from Reddit's HTML and from a third-party Reddit archive that snapshots posts at creation. Each entry links to its original URL and (where available) an archived snapshot. Deleted or edited posts are labeled as such.
Who runs this archive?
The maintainer is anonymous. The archive's design (verbatim only, sources on every entry, no psychological framing, balancing content, takedown process) is how it earns trust independent of who runs it.
How do I request a correction?
See the Corrections & Takedown page.