Want smarter insights in your inbox? Sign up for our weekly newsletters to get only what matters to enterprise AI, data, and security leaders.<\/em> Subscribe Now<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n CodeSignal Inc., the San Francisco-based skills assessment platform trusted by Netflix, Meta, and Capital One, launched Cosmo on Wednesday, a mobile learning application that transforms spare minutes into career-ready skills through artificial intelligence-powered micro-courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The app represents a strategic pivot for CodeSignal, which built its reputation assessing technical talent for major corporations but always harbored ambitions to revolutionize workplace education. Cosmo delivers over 300 bite-sized courses across generative AI, coding, marketing, finance, and leadership through an interactive chat interface powered by an AI tutor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCosmo is like having an AI tutor in your pocket that can teach you anything from GenAI to coding to marketing to finance to leadership, and it does it through practice,\u201d said Tigran Sloyan, CodeSignal\u2019s co-founder and CEO in an exclusive interview with VentureBeat. \u201cInstead of watching a video or reading about something, you immediately start practicing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The launch comes as organizations grapple with massive skills gaps created by rapid AI adoption. According to the 2024 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 76% of developers are now using or plan to use AI tools, yet most workers lack the practical knowledge to harness these tools effectively. Traditional corporate training programs, which can cost $20,000 to $40,000 per person for executive-level instruction, have proven inadequate for scaling AI literacy across entire workforces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Power caps, rising token costs, and inference delays are reshaping enterprise AI. Join our exclusive salon to discover how top teams are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Secure your spot to stay ahead<\/strong>: https:\/\/bit.ly\/4mwGngO<\/p>\n\n\n\n CodeSignal\u2019s journey into mobile learning culminates a decade-long vision that took an unexpected detour through the hiring technology space. Sloyan originally founded the company in 2015 with educational ambitions but quickly realized that without skills-based hiring practices, alternative education would fail to gain traction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI started the company with that dream and mission: I want to help more humans achieve their true potential, which naturally leads to better education,\u201d Sloyan explained in an interview. \u201cBut roughly two years into the company\u2019s history, I realized that without knowing companies would actually care about the skills you build through alternative education \u2014 rather than just asking \u2018where did you go to college?\u2019 or \u2018what did you major in?\u2019 \u2014 it wouldn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The company spent the next six years building what became the leading technical assessment platform, processing millions of coding evaluations for over 3,000 companies. This hiring-focused period provided CodeSignal with crucial intelligence about which skills employers actually value \u2014 data that now informs Cosmo\u2019s curriculum development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe know exactly what companies are looking for,\u201d Sloyan said. \u201cWithout that, I feel like you\u2019re shooting in the dark when you\u2019re trying to prepare people for what is going to help them get that job, what is going to help them advance their career.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cosmo differentiates itself through what CodeSignal calls \u201cpractice-first learning,\u201d where users immediately engage with realistic workplace scenarios rather than consuming passive video content. The app\u2019s AI tutor, also named Cosmo, guides learners through conversational exchanges that adapt to individual knowledge levels and learning pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The platform addresses what educational psychologists call \u201cBloom\u2019s two sigma problem\u201d \u2014 a 1984 study showing that one-on-one tutoring produces learning outcomes two standard deviations above traditional classroom instruction. For four decades, this remained theoretically interesting but practically impossible to scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe know one-on-one personalization and tutoring really makes a difference in learning, but it can\u2019t be done at scale. How do you get a tutor for every human?\u201d Sloyan said. \u201cIn 2023, when I saw early versions of generative AI, I thought: this is the moment. This technology, especially if it keeps getting better, can be uniquely used to help humans learn the way learning was meant to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The app combines predetermined course content with real-time personalization. Each lesson follows a structured curriculum, but learners can interrupt with questions that prompt immediate AI-generated explanations before returning to the main content thread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nearly one-third of Cosmo\u2019s launch content focuses on generative AI applications, reflecting what CodeSignal identifies as the most critical skills gap in today\u2019s market. The app offers role-specific AI training paths for sales professionals, marketers, engineers, healthcare workers, and other specialties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe biggest emphasis is on generative AI skills, because that\u2019s the biggest career skills gap right now for both students and working adults,\u201d Sloyan explained. \u201cEverything from how to understand and use GenAI, how to think about its limitations, how to be better at prompting, and how to understand the entire landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This focus addresses a broader workforce transformation driven by AI adoption. While some fear job displacement, Sloyan predicts increased demand for skilled workers who can effectively collaborate with AI systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t believe we\u2019re going to reach a point where humans are no longer needed in the workforce. I think it\u2019s going to be the opposite. We\u2019re going to need more humans, because what an individual human can do in the age of AI is going to be so much bigger than what we could do before,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CodeSignal positions Cosmo as fundamentally a consumer application that also serves enterprise customers \u2014 a reflection of how workplace learning actually occurs. The company already provides its GenAI Skills Academy to corporate clients, and Cosmo extends this training to mobile devices for on-the-go learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEven though some of the largest educational companies, like Coursera and Udemy, are making the majority of their income, or at least half, from companies, at the end of the day, education is a consumer business,\u201d Sloyan noted. \u201cWho are you educating? You\u2019re not educating a company \u2014 you\u2019re educating individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The app launches free on iOS with premium subscriptions at $24.99 monthly or $149.99 annually, unlocking unlimited practice sessions and faster progression. Android availability follows on August 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Enterprise customers who already use CodeSignal\u2019s learning platform will receive Cosmo access as part of their existing subscriptions, creating what the company describes as a \u201ccompanion relationship\u201d between desktop-based deep learning and mobile-based habit formation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cosmo enters a crowded educational technology market but targets a largely underserved niche: comprehensive career skills training optimized for mobile consumption. While competitors like Codecademy focus on specific technical skills and Duolingo dominates language learning, Cosmo\u2019s breadth across business and technical disciplines marks a more ambitious scope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Early user feedback suggests strong market demand. Beta testers describe the app as \u201cDuolingo for job skills\u201d and praise its convenience for mobile learning. CodeSignal\u2019s broader learning platform has attracted one million users in less than a year, with usage doubling every two months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The app\u2019s foundation in hiring intelligence provides a competitive advantage over traditional educational publishers. CodeSignal\u2019s assessment data reveals which skills actually influence hiring decisions, ensuring curriculum relevance in a rapidly evolving job market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cosmo\u2019s launch reflects broader shifts in how organizations approach workforce development. Traditional corporate training often suffers from poor engagement and retention, with utilization rates frequently in single digits despite significant investments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe number one problem enterprise learning products have is retention. Organizations buy, deploy, and their utilization is like single digits, and that\u2019s horrible,\u201d Sloyan said. \u201cThe way these products should be measured is how many more skilled humans are there in my organization, and how many more of them are skilled in the skills that I care about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mobile-first approach acknowledges how working professionals actually consume educational content \u2014 in brief sessions during commutes, breaks, or other downtime rather than dedicated desktop learning blocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CodeSignal\u2019s expansion into mobile learning comes as the company continues innovating across the skills assessment and development spectrum. Recent product launches include AI-Assisted Coding Assessments that evaluate how candidates collaborate with AI tools, and Interviewer Agents that automate technical interviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The company has also expanded its educational partnerships, including a collaboration with Amazon Web Services to provide free generative AI training to over 30,000 students globally through the AWS Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sloyan frames these initiatives within a broader mission to help workers navigate technological disruption. As AI transforms virtually every industry, the ability to quickly acquire new skills becomes increasingly critical for career resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve entered an era of accelerating technological change, which will bring a lot of disruption,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a massive skills transformation needed, and right now, I wish more companies were doing more to help individuals find and grow those skills.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cosmo\u2019s success may determine whether mobile-native, AI-powered learning can finally deliver on the long-promised potential of personalized education at scale. For CodeSignal, the launch marks a homecoming of sorts \u2014 after spending years teaching companies how to identify skilled workers, the company is now teaching workers how to become skilled in the first place. In an era where artificial intelligence threatens to displace human workers, CodeSignal is betting that the solution lies in using AI to make humans more capable than ever before.<\/p>\n Daily insights on business use cases with VB Daily<\/strong><\/p>\n If you want to impress your boss, VB Daily has you covered. We give you the inside scoop on what companies are doing with generative AI, from regulatory shifts to practical deployments, so you can share insights for maximum ROI.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\tThanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here.\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n An error occured.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n<\/div>How CodeSignal pivoted from tech hiring platform to mobile education powerhouse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why AI tutors could finally solve the personalized learning problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Generative AI skills training takes center stage as workforce scrambles to adapt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Mobile-first learning strategy targets both individual workers and corporate clients<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Cosmo faces crowded EdTech market with unique career-skills focus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Corporate training industry grapples with low engagement and poor ROI<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Skills revolution accelerates as AI transforms every industry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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