Pluralsight started with four trainers teaching developers in person, then moved the whole business online. By 2018 its library held thousands of video courses on programming languages, cloud platforms and security, taught by working experts. Companies bought seats for their engineering teams to keep up with fast-changing tools. When Pluralsight filed to go public that year, every business was becoming a software business. The shortage of skilled developers was a common complaint.

Four Trainers Go Online

Aaron Skonnard and three fellow trainers started Pluralsight in 2004 as a classroom training company. Teaching developers in person was costly and hard to scale. In 2008 they moved the whole business online and began recording courses. Their bet was that a large catalog of expert video, sold by subscription, could reach far more learners than any classroom. The company was based in Farmington, Utah.

Skill Scores, Then a Buyout

Pluralsight priced at $15 a share in May 2018 and rose on its first day. It grew its business sales and added skill assessments and analytics for managers. Then growth slowed, and the stock never held its early highs. Aaron Skonnard ran the company as chief executive through all its public years. In 2021 Vista Equity Partners bought Pluralsight for about $3.5 billion and took it private.

Cover: Scholar Reading in a Hut, Keisai Eisen. Art Institute of Chicago, public domain. Chosen for a scholar reading in a hut (learning).