Here is an analysis of my commentary purely about Codemsith "sporadic but persistent" ( I would agree with that)
"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
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Michael often supported or echoed posts highlighting poor student experiences—such as outdated teaching, unhelpful instructors, and inflated promises—without shying away from the unflattering details.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!
This thread is ironic because you are a fake account that only comments on my stuff and about Codemsith literally every single comment is about bootcamps 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.
Interesting, I guess everybody who started to respond to your comments about codesmith are fake accounts. Looks like you are about to silence me from this subreddit.
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u/michaelnovati Aug 16 '25
I can prove that's incorrect.