🟢 At a Glance:

Udemy’s Chief Financial Officer, Gregory Brown, just submitted his resignation letter — probably not via a course assignment. His last day? June 14, 2025. Reason? “Pursuing a new opportunity,” which in corporate speak could mean anything from “joined a startup” to “got tired of earnings calls.”

In the meantime, Trina Gokool, the company’s Chief Accounting Officer, is stepping in as Interim CFO, until they find someone brave enough to deal with GAAP and guidance at the same time.

🧾 The Filing: What Udemy Said (and Didn’t Say)

Here’s the 8-K scoop, minus the corporate fluff:

• 🧳 Gregory Brown is out as CFO, effective June 14, 2025.
• 🎯 Official reason: “pursuing a new opportunity.”
  (Translation: may or may not have rage-quit after being asked to explain EBITDA to HR for the 78th time.)
• 🛋️ He’ll stick around in a senior advisor role, which is usually code for:
  “We still need his passwords.”
• 👩‍💼 Trina Gokool, current CAO, is now acting as Interim CFO.
  She will apparently do two jobs. For one salary. Classic corporate move.
• 🔍 Udemy is conducting a search for a permanent CFO, which could last anywhere between 2 weeks and 2 quarters depending on how many LinkedIn Premium accounts they have.

📉 But Why Now?

Here’s the timing, and why Wall Street’s eyebrow just twitched:

• 🔺 Udemy stock has been… let’s say “taking an online crash course in volatility”.
• 🧮 CFOs are usually the calm bean counters of chaos. Replacing them mid-year is like changing pilots mid-turbulence.
• 📊 Q2 earnings prep, mid-year forecasts, 10-Q filings — all this becomes much more exciting when your finance head is switching chairs.

📚 A Little Context on Mr. Brown

Gregory Brown joined Udemy in 2020, and helped guide them through:

• 📈 Their IPO (hello ticker symbol: UDMY)
• 💸 Cost restructuring (goodbye, office kombucha taps)
• 🌍 Global expansion, especially in enterprise learning

So this isn’t some entry-level dropout. This is the guy who balanced the edtech books in a post-ZIRP world.

🕵️ The Real Question: Where’s He Going?

• Startup? 🤔 Possibly.
• Sabbatical? Could be. CFOs deserve a nap after every Fed rate hike.
• AI unicorn? 85% chance. CFOs are now being recruited like TikTok influencers by Series A startups trying to impress Sequoia.
• Joining a crypto firm? 🪦 We hope not. Thoughts and prayers if yes.

🧠 EduInvesting Take

“Udemy CFO resigns. Market reacts with… a collective yawn. But if the head of Zoom’s audio department quit? We’d riot.”

This CFO transition is orderly, pre-planned, and filled with buzzwords, which means markets likely won’t panic unless the next earnings call features a voiceover by ChatGPT.

Still, let’s be real:

• The edtech space isn’t exactly the prom queen of Wall Street right now.
• CFO changes in a cost-cutting environment always raise suspicion.
• But interim CFOs who’ve been around (like Trina) usually keep the wheels on.

🔮 What to Watch Next

1. Who gets the permanent CFO job?
   • Will it be an internal promotion or a Silicon Valley boomerang?
2. How’s the stock doing?
   • If it drops more than 3%, investors clearly think Brown was the only one who understood Excel.
3. Any M&A moves?
   • CFO exits sometimes pre-empt a bigger strategic shift.
4. Trina’s earnings call tone.
   • Calm? Cool? Or will she start the call by saying “So, I’m new here…”

🧮 Final Report Card

🏁 Closing Thought

In the world of edtech, your CFO quitting mid-year is like your calculus tutor saying, “I’m out” during finals week — not ideal, but if the substitute knows the syllabus, you’ll survive.

Tags: Udemy CFO Resignation, Gregory Brown Exit, Trina Gokool Interim CFO, 8-K Filing, EdTech News, Executive Shakeup, Corporate Finance, Edu Style Roast

Author: Prashant Marathe
Date: June 4, 2025