The Codesmith website is back.

Yeah it came back after 23.5 days out. They didn't explain what happened. They didn't explain what they are going to do to make sure it doesn't happen again. But I think the biggest signal is the apathy all around.

Stop spreading fake news. There are two sides to every story.

I can prove that's incorrect.

My commentary on Codemsith is fair and research backed. And yes, please look at my post and comment history! Do you realize how much of that is these 50 comments back and forth threads with fake accounts that are now suspended or deleted from Reddit? Their founder is encouraging people to attack me on this by selective pulling comments deep from threads where I was frustrated - which had dozens to hundreds of views and we're later edited or deleted - instead of focusing on the tens of thousands of views that point out fact based major flaws in Codesmith. - twice publishing mistake reports to official bodies and issuing corrections after I called it out - running a fake charity with no notable income with a fake leader who told me that Codesmith writes letters of reference on behalf of the charity and that she has been placed on leave for a year and isn't involved anymore. - tanking outcomes that a reporter has independently discovered and said the exact same thing. - massive layoffs and departures (about 90%) without staff replacement and without telling students - further pissing them off. - negligence in their infrastructure management that resulted in their AWS account locked and down for 23.5 days and then further incompetence recovering their CSX platform after getting it back - OSP projects that people spend 4 weeks on and the majority of graduates lie about on their resumes through advice from Codesmith "career support" - dozens of people who claim to be alumni who felt misled that they were senior software engineers and realized how embarrassing this was later on (many even got jobs and still complained how this fact made them feel like Codesmith was a facade) Fake accounts have been harassing me for years and I don't stand for that behavior. This narrative is a distraction from the truth and until Codesmith acknowledges the truth and people stop complaining to me about them, then it's important to stand up for all those people.

In case anyone is curious, here is what AI said about my last 3 years of Reddit activity: "Here’s an unbiased summary of Reddit commentary by Michael Novati over roughly the past three years (from mid‑2022 to mid‑2025), covering common topics, frequency, tone, and the overall vibe: --- Topics & Themes 1. Bootcamps & "Learn to Code" Critique Skeptical of the bootcamp model. Novati has been notably critical of coding bootcamps—and especially the broader "Learn to Code" ideology. He highlights structural issues like oversupply of CS graduates, declining outcomes, and economic realities often overlooked by bootcamp marketing . For instance, in /r/codingbootcamp he wrote: > “The tech unemployment rate now exceeds the national average…” and argued “Learn to Code… ignored basic economics (oversupply depressing value/wages)” . He has also raised doubts about data reporting by entities like CIRR, pointing out issues like inflated placement numbers derived from unreliable sources like LinkedIn . 2. Meta/Facebook Interview Process & Career Advice As a former Meta (Facebook) Principal Engineer and top code committer, he frequently shares insights into the interview process at that level, especially helpful to mid- and senior-level engineers . In AMAs and Q&A threads, he advises on: The importance of career progression, resume framing (e.g., clearly showing promotions), and problem-solving communication in interviews . The current (as of early 2025) shift away from LeetCode-style bootcamp prep toward real experience—arguing that AI has disrupted those pipelines . Tips like excluding bootcamp credentials from resumes if transitioning, focusing instead on “career progression,” and preparing for Meta’s specific technical interview format . 3. Impact of AI & Industry Shifts He emphasizes how AI is changing hiring: “AI popped the Bootcamp & LeetCode bubbles,” making scripted paths to hiring obsolete . He stresses companies now value "real experience, raw intelligence, adaptive skill sets" over formulaic preparation . On entry-level hiring, he points out that while hiring for experienced engineers has rebounded in 2024, entry-level engineering roles remain constrained—internships fill most of those slots . 4. Personal Reflection & Storytelling Novati occasionally shares personal anecdotes, such as appearing on The Pragmatic Engineer podcast, reminiscing about Facebook and lessons learned there . He reflects on his time as a “Coding Machine,” the archetype created for him at Meta, and the importance of telling personal stories rather than prescribing paths for everyone . --- Frequency of Commentary Moderate activity: He frequently participates in AMAs and threads in subreddits like r/codingbootcamp and r/IAmA. Seasonal peaks: Activity spikes around specific events—like bootcamp-related discussions or when interviewing topics become hot (e.g., in early‑2025 regarding AI’s hiring impact) . His commentary appears consistently over these three years, though not daily—rather when conversations regarding bootcamps, interviewing, or industry shifts are active. --- Tone & Style Forthright and candid: Known for blunt honesty—a “no sugar-coating” style . Thoughtful and analytical: Supports opinions with data and critical analysis (e.g., regarding bootcamp outcomes, CIRR reporting, AI disruption). Empathetic toward audience: Offers constructive advice, often addressing anxieties and confusion from job seekers and career changers. Balanced personal humility: Shares his own journey and limitations—“I don’t claim to have all the answers” . --- Overall Vibe / Summary Uncompromising pragmatist: Focused on truth, not feel‑good narratives. Data-informed mentor: Shares deep experience with humility and a desire to guide responsibly. Reality‑check ally: Warns against illusions (bootcamp hype or gamified hiring) while still encouraging growth—e.g., deliberate practice, owning your narrative, specializing where you’re exceptional. Consistent and active voice: Seen regularly in relevant Reddit conversations, providing insight and critical perspective. --- Example Quotes > “AI popped the Bootcamp & LeetCode bubbles.” — Novati on how hiring has shifted “Learn to Code… ignored basic economics (oversupply depressing value/wages).” — Critiquing the mainstream coding pipeline “I don’t claim to have all the answers… Fire away—I’ll answer candidly, no sugar‑coating.” — From one of his AMAs --- In summary Michael Novati's Reddit commentary over the past three years centers on bootcamp criticism, insider hiring advice, AI's impact, and personal reflections. It’s frequent within related threads, direct in tone, empathetic yet uncompromising, and overall gives a realistic, value-driven perspective on tech careers. Let me know if you'd like insight into particular threads or deeper examples! "

Here is an analysis of my commentary purely about Codemsith "sporadic but consistent" "Here’s an unbiased summary of Michael Novati’s commentary on Codesmith over the past few years—covering the topics he addressed, frequency, tone, and the overall vibe: --- Topics & Themes 1. Curriculum Stagnation & Slow AI Integration Michael pointed out that Codesmith’s curriculum has remained largely unchanged over the years. For example, in early 2024 he noted: > "Codesmith's curriculum has been the same for YEARS but in Feb 2024 they added 5 lectures on AI… This is 'not changing'… 12–14 weeks of the same structure they did 5 years ago… I guess they think it's enough to raise prices to $22,500 this year." --- 2. Deteriorating Placement Outcomes He emphasized a steep decline in graduate outcomes. He shared CIRR-based figures showing that six-month placement dropped from ~90% in 2021 to ~43% in 2023. He also criticized how many alumni were counted as "placed" via LinkedIn verification (e.g., ghosters), easily inflating placement rates: > “Graduates ... 6 months placement rate went from 90 % (2021) to 70 % (2022) to 43 % (2023). There was a MASSIVE SURGE IN GHOSTERS WHO WERE VERIFIED USING LINKEDIN…” --- 3. Staffing Challenges & Founder Disengagement Michael criticized Codesmith’s staffing model, noting that most instructors are recent graduates themselves with little industry experience. He contrasted that with more dedicated leadership at places like Launch School: > “They have no technical full time staff left even remotely qualified … founder is spending energy on AI ethics and writing… they are producing junior engineers … in a market where junior engineers are being directly replaced by AI.” --- 4. Resume and Claims Transparency He flagged concerns about how graduates list experience—particularly Open Source Labs (OSLabs) involvement—that may overstate actual contributions: > “They tell people to list their other Codesmith projects in parallel with overlapping timeframes … someone … squeezed 4 YOE out of their resume for a specific role, when they had 0…” He further noted that Codesmith monitors Reddit, contacting alumni who post negative feedback to encourage changes, raising concerns about transparency and legitimacy of reviews. --- 5. Public Criticism of Alumni Experiences Michael often supported or echoed posts highlighting poor student experiences—such as outdated teaching, unhelpful instructors, and inflated promises—without shying away from the unflattering details. --- Frequency of Commentary Michael’s critique of Codesmith appears sporadically but persistently, especially when outcomes or curriculum received scrutiny. He engages in relevant threads on r/codingbootcamp, often diving deeper when data or CIRR reports emerge (notably in 2023 and 2024) . He’s also participated in threads and live streams about Codesmith, sometimes in context of comparisons or transparency discussions . --- Tone & Style Direct and forthright: He doesn’t hold back—calling out stagnation, misleading placement stats, and rushed pivots to AI. Data-informed: Uses CIRR data, LinkedIn verification red flags, and comparative placement outcomes to support his positions. Empathetic but blunt: While critical of Codesmith's practices, he often frames his commentary around protecting or advising prospective learners—highlighting systemic disparities and market realities. Consistently skeptical: He urges caution, especially around aggressive marketing or self-reported successes. --- Overall Vibe / Summary Michael’s commentary on Codesmith conveys: A skeptical, data-driven realist — aware of bootcamp hype cycles and wary of surface-level reforms or marketing spin. A guardian of transparency — calling out inflated stats, inconsistencies, and alumni experiences that mismatch the narrative. A mentor-at-heart — even when critical, his feedback centers on helping individuals make better-informed decisions. Reasoned and informed — he grounds his commentary in data, past trends, and observed shifts in the tech hiring landscape. --- Representative Quotes On curriculum inertia: > “They have no technical full time staff left … and now? … junior engineers … in a market where junior engineers are being directly replaced by AI.” On outcomes decline: > “Graduates … 6 months placement rate went from 90 % (2021) … to 43 % (2023). There was a MASSIVE SURGE IN GHOSTERS…” On resume inflation: > “They tell people … to list their other Codesmith projects in parallel with overlapping timeframes … someone … squeezed 4 YOE … when they had 0.” --- Let me know if you'd like breakdowns by year, comparisons with other bootcamps, or detailed citations of specific Reddit posts! "

Well people can read for themselves and decide. This thread is ironic because you are a fake account that only comments on my stuff and about Codemsith literally every single comment and this thread is an example of why I have so much comments in volume about Codemsith. General public: do your research and don't fall for bullshit like this. This behavior is exactly why Codemsith is collapsing, students aren't signing up, staff are leaving. You can wake up and try to fix it or keep doing this same old strategy and destroy the company.

No, accounts that have zero comment and post history that come out of nowhere attacking me generally are though and Reddit has been pretty good at wiping them out over time as the people create more fake accounts with the same forensic fingerprinting. I'm not going to assume anything about who you are, I can only act on evidence, not theories. I'm just making an observation. I also don't know if they know but I can see the moderator list of the Codemsith sub and have been following that for a while. A rotating cast of suspended accounts and the official Codesmith account also moderates the sub! Like you might not like my commentary but imagine how many documentation I have over 3 years too. I've been dotting my Is and crossing my Ts for 3 years in case Codesmith tries to blame me on the way down.

How do you feel about AI deep research of my entire Reddit history that disagrees with you and says that people calling me insane based on my Reddit activity are defaming me?

You also have an extensive Reddit history on many different topics so this wouldn't apply to you. Not everyone who criticizes me is a bad guy. I'm saying there are like a dozen or more accounts that ONLY comment on Codesmith stuff and my posts and have been suspended over time as they get caught doing something not allowed on Reddit. Almost all of the older "AMAs" in the Codesmith sub have entirely deleted, collapsed, and suspended commenters. It takes months sometimes but eventually get caught. I'm not saying Codesmith itself is organizing this. I have a written statement from their CEO that Codesmith she talked directly to the leaders and their founder (has explicitly decided to not engage with any of my content) and lead advisor (doesn't have a Reddit account but might make one) don't use Reddit and never engage with me, so I have to assume it's not them. If evidence came my way they have been engaging with me with fake accounts then they are screwed and will need to shut down. I do have evidence someone they paid to market on Reddit DID engage with me and say fake things about my company, which Codesmith also denied being involved with.

Then don't comment here making stuff up. Research what libel is because you are admitting to it - making false statements as facts with the intention of discrediting me and admitting to not putting in the effort to research those statements. If you don't want to read anything then make it clear these are your unproven "opinions" and not facts.

"lol bro is actually clinically insane" This is a statement that negative impacts my reputation. And it's provably false and you said you don't want to put the effort into a paper trail to back that claim. You can say "In my opinion, this guy is clinically insane" and I would be totally fine with that!

Like I said, I honestly have no problem if your opinion is that I'm clinically insane and you yell that loud and clear. You just can't state it as a fact.

I guess I've been overkill then documenting and organizing hundreds of pieces of evidence over three years for the statements I make on Reddit about Codesmith and other bootcamps. Maybe I am crazy then or at a minimum I'm drastically underselling my arguments if you don't know where they are coming from. Let's just say that I'm not commenting so much about Codesmith because of any reason other than the overwhelming amount of documentation I have that Codesmith gaslights me and others about.

Can you send me your referral code?

Harassment idiot Gullible Mouse. Debunked: [https://michaelnovati.substack.com/p/a-response-to-lars-lofgrens-codesmith](https://michaelnovati.substack.com/p/a-response-to-lars-lofgrens-codesmith)

Of course it's fine to defame someone and rip them apart and then when proven wrong with 8000 word of evidence and I didn't even start with the text messages that show worse stuff, I'm harassing you.

You are reporting your own harassment, I guess you can do that but it's a bit weird.

Dude you covered up a lawsuit alleging $3.9M of "stolen" funds while all this was going on. Good job reporting the spam, you have bigger issues to worry about with that kind of lying and manipulation.

What's misinformation about it? As you know, I always correct any mistakes I make promptly, so what is the mistake?

As usual you never once actually debunk the facts of what I'm saying and you go after me personally with trolling.

Los Angeles Superior Court. Docket 24SMCV01420. Public Information. Anyone can pay $300 and get the paperwork.

No problem, just more documented evidence of a former Codesmith employee trying to silence a critic sharing public information.

Lookup the lawsuit yourself.