Hmm BloomTech (where the CEO of App Academy used to work) also used Canvas. In all fairness she was able to help them survive instead of completely shutting down so if App Academy was headed for shutdown, maybe she's trying to save it like BloomTech.
In my opinion the layoffs in [March 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmIBwP6tBh4) should have been a giant warning sign to run. I know they promised things would improve and get better, but it was prudent to give them a chance to prove that instead of joining anyways and hoping for the best.
Codesmith had layoffs in 2023 and again in February 2024 where it drastically[ cutback programs](https://www.codesmith.io/blog/community-update-doubling-down-on-remote-learning-timeless-pedagogy-frontier-tech). Most of the things promised didn't happen (or didn't happen to the degree stated) and four more employees left in the past few weeks. Yet they spend 6 months adding 5 lectures/units (AI/Ml) to the curriculum, when there is no evidence that people need these jobs now.
No one seems to learn from these things! Every company is different, every company deserves a chance, but as a consumer, having blind faith because of good marketing after layoffs is not being prudent with the track record of bootcamps failing.
I hope this doesn't come across as blaming the customer for choosing App Academy - I'm making broad statements and every individual circumstance is unique, and if you were misled, that could be on them not you, but just a warning for everyone else who hasn't decided yet.
u/Noovic wrote (the comment Michael replied to):
I think “saving it” is a horrible term to use here. At what point does saving a company turn into it not actually being a company. If it’s getting so bad where they fire 90 percent of staff to teach and help an enormous number of student I would say thats not saving it , it’s rui
u/michaelnovatireplied·
Well Launch Academy just gracefully paused indefinitely and another program gracefully closed to preserve its legacy.
So I agree there are other ways.
Two reasons
1. when you pour like 10 years into something, it's just so emotionally. hard to admit what's going on and I can see like not wanting to let it go. I'm not saying that's the best decision but I empathize with that person.
2. Big external companies who are third party CEOs. if I'm a CEO and I get paid a ton of money for keeping something alive for a year I might just want to keep it. or if I'm a big investment firm that owns those company like BlackRock owns Simplilearn, then there are pressures to maximize profits for shareholders as long as you're following the law.
I would suspect this is both app Academy being a really special place back in the day that people really respect and was second that there's a new CEO that's trying to prove that her AI approach can make an efficient boot camp and if she fails she'll just move on to iterating or trying something else. investors might even want to give her more money for her startup because she learned so much from a failure.
u/Odd-Flan3425 wrote (the comment Michael replied to):
how can we run if we are arleady in the course, now they are threating the students to pay the 30k if you get striked out... the deal was you pay only once they find you a job, not sure how they can keep changing things like that. The course is a joke currently, nothing makes se
u/michaelnovatireplied·
I would try to negotiate it down based on what you did and make a case that they have made so many changes that you don't think it's fair to charge the full amount.
Group pressure can help, call them out, get people together to get a lawyer to try to negotiate something (not suing but negotiating).