<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1877869/open_sms">Send us a text</a>Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they recap a post–New York EdTech Week full of highs and hard truths.✨ Episode Highlights: [00:00:00] 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 AI tools built on 85 years of learner data. [00:31:02] Mem0 raises $23M to build a universal AI memory layer. [00:38:10] Cal State’s OpenAI deal sparks debate on Big Tech in higher ed. [00:44:18] The media’s anti-AI narrative and its impact on innovation. Plus, special guests: [00:50:24] <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-winthrop-b36b0617/'>Rebecca Winthrop</a>, Director of the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, and <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennyandersonnyt/'>Jenny Anderson</a>, award-winning journalist and co-author of <a href='https://www.thedisengagedteen.com/'>The Disengaged Teen</a>, on student agency, engagement, and the four learner modes. [01:11:14] <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-reich-6a52a318/'>Justin Reich</a>, Director of the MIT <a href='https://tsl.mit.edu/'>Teaching Systems Lab</a>, on AI in Schools: Perspectives for the Perplexed and how educators can experiment safely with emerging AI tools. 😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders! Follow us on our podcast, newsletter & LinkedIn <a href='https://www.edtechinsiders.org/'>here</a>.🎉 Presenting Sponsor/s:Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. <a href='https://tinyurl.com/5d66m4y5'>Starbridge</a> tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by <a href="https://www.tuckadvisors.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=edtech">Tuck Advisors</a>, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 30 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do. <a href="https://bit.ly/4n3z00d">Ednition</a> helps EdTech companies reclaim rostering and own their integrations. Through its flagship platform, RosterStream, Ednition replaces costly data providers and complex internal infrastructure with direct, secure connections to any SIS or data source. The result: scalable integrations, lower costs, and seamless experiences for schools and districts of every size. With Ednition: Reclaim rostering. Own your integrations. Cut the cost. Innovation in preK to gray learning is powered by exceptional people. For over 15 years, EdTech companies of all sizes and stages have trusted <a href="https://tinyurl.com/efh92d25">HireEducation</a> to find the talent that drives impact. When specific skills and experiences are mission-critical, HireEducation is a partner that delivers. Offering permanent, fractional, and executive recruitment, HireEducation knows the go-to-market talent you need. Learn more at HireEdu.com.

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 of Teaching Systems Lab

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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 of Teaching Systems Lab

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