Udemy appoints new CTO and launches Innovation Studio as it deepens AI focus across platform
Ozzie Goldschmied joins as Chief Technology Officer to lead engineering and product strategy, while founder Eren Bali moves into a new innovation role centered on AI development and future product vision.
Udemy has appointed Ozzie Goldschmied as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) as part of a broader leadership shift aimed at accelerating the company’s AI-powered platform strategy.
The announcement also confirms that company founder and former CTO Eren Bali will transition into a new role as Head of Innovation, where he will focus on product vision and AI research.
New CTO to lead engineering and product teams
Goldschmied will report to president and CEO Hugo Sarrazin and assume responsibility for Udemy’s Engineering, Design, Product, Data Science, and Technical Product Management teams.
According to the company, the move is intended to strengthen day-to-day technical operations while supporting a longer-term shift toward AI-driven learning models.
Sarrazin says: “We are excited to welcome Ozzie to Udemy's leadership team at this transformative moment for our company. Ozzie's expertise in developing innovative enterprise solutions that serve millions of users globally will be instrumental as we advance our transformation into a world-class, AI-powered platform to reskill and upskill the future workforce. We look forward to leveraging Ozzie’s technical leadership to further accelerate execution of our strategy.”
Goldschmied has held senior roles at Dayforce, Ceridian, Workbrain, and most recently served as founder and CEO of GoldenRock Inc., advising clients on product strategy and AI adoption. His background includes leading global engineering teams and scaling enterprise platforms.
“Udemy is uniquely positioned at the intersection of two powerful growth drivers: the rapid adoption and disruption of AI and the global imperative for continuous skills development,” says Goldschmied.
“AI is impacting every industry and presents a significant opportunity to build solutions that fundamentally transform how skills are developed, measured, and applied. We have enormous potential to leverage Udemy's global scale and massive network of content creators to support our customers' evolving needs as their preferred skills development platform for the AI era and beyond.”
Bali transitions to lead Udemy’s Innovation Studio
As Head of Innovation, Bali will focus on product experimentation, emerging technologies, and AI-based skilling models through the newly established Udemy Innovation Studio. The role removes him from operational leadership but places him in a position to influence long-term product development.
“I am incredibly excited to focus my energy on pushing the boundaries of what's possible in skills development with technology, which is what I'm most passionate about,” says Bali.
“Udemy’s new Innovation Studio is a dedicated space to explore and develop next-generation skilling experiences powered by AI. This transition allows me to leverage my entrepreneurial mindset within Udemy while collaborating with Ozzie to scale our technology and product strategy for the future. Together, we will accelerate Udemy's impact in ways I could never have imagined when we started this journey 15 years ago.”
