
Week in EdTech 10/29/25: Alpha School's Backlash, Chegg Layoffs, Kaplan’s AI Pivot, Mem0’s “Memory Layer,” Big Tech vs. Higher Ed, and More! Feat. Rebecca Winthrop & Jenny Anderson, Authors of The Disengaged Teen and Justin Reich, MIT Teaching Systems Lab
1 hour 38 minutes Posted Nov 7, 2025 at 1:00 pm.
] Alpha School's backlash and what it reveals about AI-based education. [00:06:58] EdTech’s new K–20 alliance with Microsoft and Google for responsible AI. [00:10:09] The risks and lessons from Alpha School's rapid rise and fall. [00:21:53] Chegg cuts 45% of staff amid AI disruption and market pressure. [00:26:01] Kaplan launches ...
Alpha School's backlash and what it reveals about AI-based education.
EdTech’s new K–20 alliance with Microsoft and Google for responsible AI.
The risks and lessons from Alpha School's rapid rise and fall.
Chegg cuts 45% of staff amid AI disruption and market pressure.
Kaplan launches AI tools built on 85 years of learner data.
Mem0 raises $23M to build a universal AI memory layer.
Cal State’s OpenAI deal sparks debate on Big Tech in higher ed.
The media’s anti-AI narrative and its impact on innovation.
Rebecca Winthrop, Director of the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, and Jenny Anderson, award-winning journalist and co-author of The Disengaged Teen, on student agency, engagement, and the four learner modes.
Justin Reich, Director of the MIT Teaching Systems Lab, on AI in Schools: Perspectives for the Perplexed and how educators can experiment safely with emerging AI tools.
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Show notes
Send us Fan Mail Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they recap a post–New York EdTech Week full of highs and hard truths. ✨ Episode Highlights: [
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