SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Principles of Consolidation	Principles of Consolidation The Consolidated Financial Statements include the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates The preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates, judgments, and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and related disclosures as of the date of the Consolidated Financial Statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. We base our estimates on historical experience, current conditions, and various other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Significant items subject to such estimates, judgements, and assumptions include, but are not limited to, those related to the determination of principal versus agent and variable consideration in our revenue contracts; stock-based compensation expense; period of benefit for capitalized commissions; internal-use software costs; useful lives of long-lived assets; the carrying value of operating lease right-of-use assets; the valuation of intangible assets and income tax expense, including the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, among others. Actual results could differ from those estimates, and any such differences could be material to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash	Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash We consider all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Our cash and cash equivalents consist of cash and money market funds at financial institutions, and are stated at cost, which approximates fair value because of their immediate or short-term maturities. Our restricted cash primarily consists of a letter of credit required to fulfill our corporate headquarters’ operating lease agreement. Restricted cash, current is included in prepaid expenses and other current assets, and restricted cash, non-current is included in other assets, both in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Marketable Securities	Marketable Securities Marketable securities consist of U.S. Treasury securities, with an original maturity between three months and one year at the date of purchase, and are classified as available-for-sale (“AFS”) debt securities. We view these securities as available to support current operations and have classified all AFS debt securities as current assets. AFS debt securities are initially recorded at cost and periodically adjusted to fair value with unrealized gains and losses reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. We evaluate our AFS debt securities with an unamortized cost basis in excess of estimated fair value to determine what amount of that difference, if any, is caused by expected credit losses. Realized gains and losses as well as credit-related impairment losses are included in other expense, net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Any remaining impairment is included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).
Accounts Receivable, Net	Accounts Receivable, Net Accounts receivable, net includes trade accounts receivable, both billed and unbilled, net of an allowance for credit losses. Billed receivables are recorded at the invoiced amount in the period that our right to consideration is unconditional. Payment terms on invoiced amounts are typically 30 to 60 days. Unbilled receivables, or contract assets, are recorded when revenue is recognized prior to our unconditional right to consideration. A contract asset is a right to consideration that is conditional upon factors other than the passage of time. An allowance for credit losses is established based on our assessment of the collectibility of accounts receivable by considering various factors, including the age of each outstanding invoice, each customer’s expected ability to pay, the collection history with each customer, current economic conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic conditions over the life of the receivable, when applicable, to determine whether a specific allowance is appropriate. Accounts receivable deemed uncollectible are charged against the allowance for credit losses when identified. The allowance for credit losses and related activities were not material for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021.
Property, Equipment, and Software, Net	Property, Equipment, and Software, Net Property, equipment, and software, net is stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and software amortization are recorded using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, generally two to five years. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the improvements or the remaining lease term.
Deferred Offering Costs	Deferred Offering Costs Deferred offering costs consist primarily of direct and incremental legal, accounting, and other fees related to the IPO. Prior to the IPO, all deferred offering costs were capitalized in prepaid expenses and other current assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Upon completion of the IPO, $6,449 of the deferred offering costs were reclassified into stockholders’ equity (deficit) as a reduction of the IPO proceeds.
Educator Partner Costs	Educator Partner Costs We have various agreements with educator partners that grant us the right to host their intellectual property on our platform. In return, educator partners earn a fee that we recognize as a content cost in the same period in which the related revenue is recognized and is classified as a cost of revenue in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. One such agreement has stipulated that certain fees earned by the educator partner are to be allocated to a development fund to be held and spent by Coursera on activities such as developing, marketing, and advertising the educator partner's content, according to a mutually agreed upon plan. We recognized the liability and related expenses associated with this development fund consistent with the timing of when we recognized educator partner content costs given our liability is established in the same period the revenue is recognized. The expenses have been classified in the Consolidated Statements of Operations based on the nature of the underlying spend. The liability associated with the development fund is recorded within other accounts payable and accrued expenses in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. During the first quarter of 2023, we entered into an amendment with this educator partner who started earning typical content fees, which are recorded within cost of revenue in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Leases	Leases We determine if an arrangement is a lease and the classification of that lease, if applicable, at inception by evaluating various factors, including if the contract conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration and other facts and circumstances. Right-of-use (“ROU”) assets represent our right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and are included in operating lease ROU assets, on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments according to the arrangement and are included in operating lease liabilities, current and non-current, on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We do not have any finance leases. ROU assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the commencement date based on the present value of minimum remaining lease payments over the lease term. For this purpose, we include payments that are fixed and determinable at the commencement date, including initial direct costs incurred and excluding lease incentives received. We use the implicit rate when it is readily determinable. Otherwise, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of future lease payments. Our lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise such options. Our lease agreements may contain variable costs such as common area maintenance, insurance, real estate taxes, or other costs. Variable lease costs are expensed as incurred in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Operating lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. We do not separate lease and non-lease components and do not recognize ROU assets and operating lease liabilities that arise from leases with an initial lease term of 12 months or less. In addition, impairment of an ROU asset and other lease related assets, including leasehold improvements, furniture and fixtures, and computer equipment, that results from entering into a sublease arrangement is recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations in the period the sublease agreement is executed. We recognize sublease income as a reduction to our operating lease expense on a straight-line basis over the sublease term. Refer to Note 6 for additional information.
Internal-Use Software and Website Development Costs	Internal-Use Software and Website Development Costs We capitalize certain costs associated with our internal-use software and website development during the application development stage when management with the relevant authority authorizes and commits to the funding of the project, it is probable that the project will be completed, and the software will be used as intended. These costs include personnel and related employee benefits expenses for employees who are directly associated with and who devote time to software and website development projects. Such costs are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the related asset, which is approximately two to five years, and are recorded within cost of revenue in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Costs incurred prior to meeting these criteria, together with costs incurred for training and maintenance, are expensed as incurred within research and development in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Intangible Assets, Net	Intangible Assets, Net Intangible assets, net is stated at cost, net of accumulated amortization. We amortize our finite-lived intangible assets on a straight-line basis over an estimated useful life of two to six years. Amortization of content assets and developed technology is included in cost of revenue, and assembled workforce is included in research and development, both in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets	Impairment of Long-Lived Assets We monitor events and changes in circumstances that could indicate the carrying amounts of our long-lived assets, including deferred partner fees, property, equipment, software, intangible assets, and operating lease ROU assets, may not be recoverable. When such events or changes in circumstances occur, we assess the recoverability of long-lived assets by determining whether the carrying value of such assets will be recovered through their undiscounted expected future cash flows. If the future undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying amount of these assets, we recognize an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the assets. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recognized an impairment loss of $861 related to capitalized internal-use software and website development costs. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we recognized an impairment loss related to deferred partner fees of $2,915, related to our operating lease ROU asset of $2,304, and related property and equipment of $904. There were no impairments of long-lived assets during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Revenue	Revenue We recognize revenue from contracts with customers for access to the learning content hosted on our platform and related services. Revenue is recognized when control of promised services is transferred to our customer. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration that we expect to be entitled to receive in exchange for these services. We apply judgment in determining our customer’s ability and intent to pay, which is based on a variety of factors, including the customer’s historical payment experience, credit, or financial information. Consumer revenue customers are required to pay in advance. At contract inception, we assess the performance obligations, or deliverables, we have agreed to provide in the contract and determine if they are individually distinct or if they should be combined with other performance obligations. Contracts that contain multiple performance obligations require an allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation based on each performance obligation’s relative standalone selling price. We combine performance obligations when an individual performance obligation does not have standalone value to our customer. For example, our customers do not have the ability to take possession of the software supporting our platform and, as a result, our contracts are typically accounted for as service arrangements with a single performance obligation. We have a stand-ready obligation to provide learners continuous access to our learning platform and deliver related support services for a specified term. For this reason, these services are generally viewed as a stand-ready performance obligation consisting of a series of distinct daily services. We typically satisfy these performance obligations over time as the services are provided. A time-elapsed output method is used to measure progress because our efforts are expended evenly throughout the period given the nature of the promise is a stand-ready service. Fixed fees for these services are generally recognized ratably over the contract term. We include any fixed consideration within our contracts as part of the total transaction price. Generally, we include an estimate of the variable amount within the total transaction price and update our assumptions over the duration of the contract. None of our contracts contain a significant financing component. We do not include taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities within the total transaction price. At times, we are party to multiple concurrent contracts or contracts that combine multiple services. These situations require judgment to determine if multiple contracts should be combined and accounted for as a single arrangement. In making this determination, we consider (i) the economics of each individual contract and whether or not it was negotiated on a standalone basis, and (ii) if multiple promises represent a single performance obligation. Contract modifications require judgment to determine if the modification should be accounted for as (i) a separate contract, (ii) the termination of the original contract and creation of a new contract, or (iii) a cumulative catch-up adjustment to the original contract. When evaluating contract modifications, we must identify the performance obligations of the modified contract and determine both the allocation of revenues to the remaining performance obligations and the period of recognition for each identified performance obligation. We generate revenue from our three reportable segments: Consumer, Enterprise, and Degrees. Refer to Note 14 for our disaggregation of revenue. We are generally the principal with respect to Consumer and Enterprise revenue as we control the performance obligation and are the primary obligor with respect to delivering access to course content. Additionally, we have inventory risk through recoupable advances sometimes paid to educator partners. Consumer Revenue We generate revenue from consumers by selling access to learning content hosted on our platform. Consumer products include certifications for single courses, professional certificates, and catalog-wide subscriptions. Access to single courses are generally purchased at a fixed price for a set period of time, typically six months. Specializations are a series of courses offered by the same educator partner, and learners are provided access to these courses on a month-to-month subscription basis. Coursera Plus is our catalog-wide consumer subscription product, sold in monthly or annual subscriptions. All Consumer learners pay in advance, and revenue is recognized ratably over the contract term once access has been granted to the learner, as learners have unlimited access to the course content during the contract term. Consumer learners are entitled to a full refund up to two weeks after payment is received. We estimate and establish an allowance for refunds based on historical refund rates, which was immaterial as of December 31, 2023 and 2022. Enterprise Revenue We sell subscription licenses to businesses, organizations, governments, and educational institutions that provide their learners with the ability to enroll in courses and Specializations and receive certifications upon completion. Enterprise contracts are typically between one and three years in length and consist of selling a fixed quantity of catalog licenses that grant each learner access to our learning platform and unlimited course enrollments over the license term. We recognize revenue ratably over the contract term once access has been granted to the Enterprise customer. Degrees Revenue Universities contract with us to facilitate the delivery of their bachelor’s and master’s degree programs or postgraduate diplomas. Degrees revenue contracts involve the performance of a number of promises, including but not limited to hosting the degree content on our learning platform, providing content authoring tools, course production support, marketing, and platform technical support services. As a result, the university is our customer with respect to Degrees revenue. We earn a service fee based on a percentage of total tuition collected by the university from Degrees students, net of refunds. As a result, the revenue we earn is dependent upon the number of learners enrolled and the tuition charged by the university. This is a form of variable consideration, and we estimate the amount of revenue using an expected value method. These estimates are refined each reporting period until the consideration becomes known, generally at the time the final term enrollment report is provided by the university. We have a stand-ready obligation to perform services throughout the contract term during which degree content is hosted on our platform. Degrees revenue is generally earned and paid by the university for each academic term and is recognized ratably from the start of a term through the start of the following term. The Degrees learning experience is delivered on the same proprietary learning platform used by Consumer and Enterprise customers. There is no direct contractual revenue arrangement between Coursera and Degrees students, whose contractual arrangement is directly with the universities. In addition to the learning platform, the universities are obligated to provide their students with additional services, such as designing the curriculum, setting admission criteria, making admission and financial aid decisions, real-time teaching, independently awarding credits, certificates, or degrees, and providing academic and career counseling. For these reasons, the universities control the delivery of degrees hosted on our platform. As a result, we recognize only the service fee we receive from the universities as our Degrees revenue.
Deferred Revenue	Deferred Revenue Deferred revenue, or contract liabilities, consists of consideration recorded in advance of performance obligations being delivered and is classified as current or non-current based on the related period in which services are expected to be provided.
Contract Acquisition and Fulfillment Costs	Contract Acquisition and Fulfillment Costs Contract acquisition costs consist of sales commissions and related payroll taxes associated with obtaining contracts with Enterprise and Degrees customers. Deferred Commissions Contract acquisition costs are costs we incur that are directly related to securing a contract and are primarily related to sales commissions and related payroll taxes earned by our Enterprise and Degrees sales forces. These costs are deferred and then amortized on a straight-line basis over the expected period of benefit. We amortize these costs over four years, since the commissions paid upon a contract renewal are not commensurate with the commissions paid on the initial contract, and as such, the sales contract term is not commensurate with the expected period of benefit. Sales commissions and related payroll taxes primarily paid for Enterprise contract renewals are amortized over the renewal term, which is generally two years. Deferred commissions and related payroll taxes are recorded within deferred costs or other assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, depending on the timing of the related amortization. They are amortized to sales and marketing in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. On an annual basis, we assess the expected period of benefit by taking into consideration the average contract term length, the life of the underlying technology, and other factors. Based on our prior year assessment, we determined that the expected period of benefit should be increased from three years to four years. This change in accounting estimate was effective January 1, 2023 and is accounted for prospectively in our Consolidated Financial Statements. For the year ended December 31, 2023, this change resulted in a $3,496 benefit to sales and marketing. There was no change in the amortization period for contract renewals. Deferred Partner Fees These fulfillment costs are paid to educator partners in advance of completing our performance obligations; are recorded within prepaid expenses and other current assets or other assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, depending on the timing of the related revenue recognition; and are amortized into cost of revenue ratably over the subscription term.
Cost of Revenue	Cost of Revenue Cost of revenue consists of content costs, which are generally fees paid to educator partners, and expenses associated with the operation and maintenance of our platform. These expenses include the cost of servicing support requests from paid learners and educator partners; hosting and bandwidth costs; amortization of acquired technology and internal-use software; customer payment processing fees; and attributed depreciation and facilities costs.
Fair Value Measurements	Fair Value Measurements Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for an asset or the “exit price” that would be paid to transfer a liability in the principal or most advantageous market in an orderly transaction between independent market participants on the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs, where available. This hierarchy prioritizes the inputs into three broad levels as follows: Level 1— Inputs are unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 2— Inputs are quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets or inputs that are observable for the assets or liabilities, either directly or indirectly through market corroboration, for substantially the full term of the financial instruments. Level 3— Inputs are unobservable inputs based on our own assumptions used to measure assets and liabilities at fair value. The inputs require significant management judgment or estimation. The classification of a financial asset or liability within the hierarchy is determined based on the lowest-level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
Concentrations of Risk	Concentrations of Risk Financial instruments that potentially subject us to concentration of credit risk consist of cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities. We only invest in high-credit-quality instruments and maintain our cash equivalents and marketable securities in fixed-income securities. We place our cash primarily with domestic financial institutions that are federally insured within statutory limits. For the purpose of assessing the concentration of credit risk with respect to accounts receivable and significant customers, we treat a group of customers under common control or customers that are affiliates of each other as a single customer. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, we did not have any customers that accounted for 10% or more of our revenue. As of December 31, 2023 we had one customer that accounted for 10% of our net accounts receivable balance that has since been collected within typical business terms. Our business model relies on educational content and credentialing programs from educator partners. Our largest educator partner has global brand recognition and supplies a variety of in-demand content across multiple domains. The loss of or significant reduction in this partnership or one of our other largest partners could have a material impact on our results of operations and cash flows.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes We are treated as a corporation under applicable federal and state income tax laws and are subject to income taxes in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining our income tax expense and deferred tax assets and liabilities, including evaluating uncertainties in the application of accounting principles and complex tax laws. We utilize the asset and liability method under which deferred tax assets and liabilities arise from the temporary differences between the tax basis of an asset or liability and its reported amount in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, as well as from net operating losses (“NOLs”) and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax amounts are determined by using the tax rates expected to be in effect when the taxes will be paid or refunds received, as provided for under currently enacted tax law. The effect on deferred taxes of changes in tax rates and laws in future periods, if any, is reflected in the Consolidated Financial Statements in the period enacted. A valuation allowance is established if, based upon the available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. We consider the available evidence, both positive and negative, including historical levels of income, expectations, and risks associated with estimates of future taxable income in assessing the need for a valuation allowance. Certain of our earnings are indefinitely reinvested offshore and could be subject to additional income tax if repatriated. It is not practicable to determine the unrecognized deferred tax liability on a hypothetical distribution of those earnings. Determination of income tax expense requires estimates and can involve complex issues that may require an extended period to resolve. We recognize estimated tax liabilities when such liabilities are more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the taxing authority. Further, the estimated level of annual earnings before income tax can cause the overall effective income tax rate to vary from period to period. Final determination of prior-year tax liabilities, either by settlement with tax authorities or expiration of statutes of limitations, could be materially different than estimates reflected in assets and liabilities and historical income tax expense. The outcome of these final determinations could have a material effect on our income tax expense or cash flows in the period that determination is made. We recognize interest and penalties related to income tax matters as a component of income tax expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Stock-Based Compensation Expense	Stock-Based Compensation Expense We measure and recognize compensation expense for stock-based awards granted to employees, directors, and non-employees based on the estimated grant date fair value. Stock-based awards include restricted stock units (“RSUs”), stock options, and restricted stock awards as well as stock purchase rights granted to employees under our employee stock purchase plan (“ESPP Rights”). The fair value of RSUs and restricted stock awards is based on the fair value of our common stock on the grant date. We estimate the fair value of stock options and ESPP Rights using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which requires the use of the following assumptions: Expected Term—The expected term represents the period that our stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding. For option grants considered to be “plain vanilla,” we determine the expected term using the simplified method. The simplified method deems the term to be the average of the time to vesting and the contractual life of the options. For ESPP Rights, the expected term represents the term from the first day of the offering period to the purchase date. Risk-Free Interest Rate—The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant for zero-coupon U.S. Treasury notes with maturities approximately equal to the expected term of the stock option or ESPP Rights. Expected Volatility—The expected volatility is derived from the average historical stock volatilities of several unrelated public companies within our industry that we consider to be comparable to our business, and to the extent available, our historical volatility over a period equivalent to the expected term of the stock option. The expected volatility is based on the historical volatility of our common stock over the estimated expected term of ESPP Rights. Dividend Yield—The expected dividend was assumed to be zero as we have never paid dividends and have no current plans to do so. Stock-based compensation is generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which usually matches the vesting period. Forfeitures are recognized as they occur.
Net Loss Per Share Attributable to Common Stockholders	Net Loss Per Share Attributable to Common Stockholders Basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is computed in conformity with the two-class method required for participating securities. Prior to our IPO, we treated all series of our redeemable convertible preferred stock as participating securities, since such stockholders had the right to receive non-forfeitable dividends on a pari passu basis in the event that a dividend was paid on common stock. Under the two-class method, the net loss attributable to common stockholders was not allocated to the redeemable convertible preferred stock as the preferred stockholders did not have a contractual obligation to share in the Company’s losses. Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed by giving effect to all potentially dilutive common stock equivalents to the extent they are dilutive. For purposes of this calculation, redeemable convertible preferred stock, common stock options, RSUs, and ESPP Rights are considered to be common stock equivalents but have been excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders as their effect is anti-dilutive for the periods presented.
Comprehensive Loss	Comprehensive Loss Comprehensive loss includes net loss and other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax. Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, refers to revenue, expenses, gains, and losses that under GAAP are recorded as an element of stockholders’ equity (deficit) but are excluded from net loss.
Research and Development	Research and Development Expenditures for research and development of our technology and non-refundable contributions to develop educator partner content are expensed when incurred unless they qualify as internal-use software development costs. Research and development costs consist principally of personnel costs, consulting services, content development contributions, and attributed facilities costs.
Advertising Costs	Advertising Costs Advertising costs are expensed as incurred and are included in sales and marketing in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, these costs were $44,818, $39,940, and $28,740.
Foreign Currency	Foreign Currency The majority of our sales contracts are denominated in U.S. dollars. In addition, the functional currency of our international subsidiaries is U.S. dollars. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the functional currency are remeasured to the functional currency at period-end exchange rates. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses resulting from remeasurement are recognized within other expense, net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted In November 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which requires public entities to disclose information about their reportable segments’ significant expenses and certain other segment items on an interim and annual basis if they are regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”). This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted. The amendments should be applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented. Upon transition, the segment expense categories and amounts disclosed in the prior periods should be based on the significant segment expense categories identified and disclosed in the period of adoption. We expect that the adoption of ASU 2023-07 will not have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures. In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which requires public entities on an annual basis to disclose (1) specific categories in the tax rate reconciliation and (2) income taxes paid disaggregated by jurisdiction. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The amendments should be applied on a prospective basis, though retrospective application is permitted. We are currently evaluating whether the adoption of ASU 2023-09 will have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures.

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

The Consolidated Financial Statements include the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates, judgments, and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and related disclosures as of the date of the Consolidated Financial Statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. We base our estimates on historical experience, current conditions, and various other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Significant items subject to such estimates, judgements, and assumptions include, but are not limited to, those related to the determination of principal versus agent and variable consideration in our revenue contracts; stock-based compensation expense; period of benefit for capitalized commissions; internal-use software costs; useful lives of long-lived assets; the carrying value of operating lease right-of-use assets; the valuation of intangible assets and income tax expense, including the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, among others. Actual results could differ from those estimates, and any such differences could be material to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash

We consider all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Our cash and cash equivalents consist of cash and money market funds at financial institutions, and are stated at cost, which approximates fair value because of their immediate or short-term maturities. Our restricted cash primarily consists of a letter of credit required to fulfill our corporate headquarters’ operating lease agreement. Restricted cash, current is included in prepaid expenses and other current assets, and restricted cash, non-current is included in other assets, both in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Marketable Securities

Marketable securities consist of U.S. Treasury securities, with an original maturity between three months and one year at the date of purchase, and are classified as available-for-sale (“AFS”) debt securities. We view these securities as available to support current operations and have classified all AFS debt securities as current assets. AFS debt securities are initially recorded at cost and periodically adjusted to fair value with unrealized gains and losses reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. We evaluate our AFS debt securities with an unamortized cost basis in excess of estimated fair value to determine what amount of that difference, if any, is caused by expected credit losses. Realized gains and losses as well as credit-related impairment losses are included in other expense, net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Any remaining impairment is included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).

Accounts Receivable, Net

Accounts receivable, net includes trade accounts receivable, both billed and unbilled, net of an allowance for credit losses. Billed receivables are recorded at the invoiced amount in the period that our right to consideration is unconditional. Payment terms on invoiced amounts are typically 30 to 60 days. Unbilled receivables, or contract assets, are recorded when revenue is recognized prior to our unconditional right to consideration. A contract asset is a right to consideration that is conditional upon factors other than the passage of time.

An allowance for credit losses is established based on our assessment of the collectibility of accounts receivable by considering various factors, including the age of each outstanding invoice, each customer’s expected ability to pay, the collection history with each customer, current economic conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic conditions over the life of the receivable, when applicable, to determine whether a specific allowance is appropriate. Accounts receivable deemed uncollectible are charged against the allowance for credit losses when identified. The allowance for credit losses and related activities were not material for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021.

Property, Equipment, and Software, Net

Property, equipment, and software, net is stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and software amortization are recorded using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, generally two to five years. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the estimated useful lives of the improvements or the remaining lease term.

Deferred Offering Costs

Deferred offering costs consist primarily of direct and incremental legal, accounting, and other fees related to the IPO. Prior to the IPO, all deferred offering costs were capitalized in prepaid expenses and other current assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Upon completion of the IPO, $6,449 of the deferred offering costs were reclassified into stockholders’ equity (deficit) as a reduction of the IPO proceeds.

Educator Partner Costs

We have various agreements with educator partners that grant us the right to host their intellectual property on our platform. In return, educator partners earn a fee that we recognize as a content cost in the same period in which the related revenue is recognized and is classified as a cost of revenue in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. One such agreement has stipulated that certain fees earned by the educator partner are to be allocated to a development fund to be held and spent by Coursera on activities such as developing, marketing, and advertising the educator partner's content, according to a mutually agreed upon plan. We recognized the liability and related expenses associated with this development fund consistent with the timing of when we recognized educator partner content costs given our liability is established in the same period the revenue is recognized. The expenses have been classified in the Consolidated Statements of Operations based on the nature of the underlying spend. The liability associated with the development fund is recorded within other accounts payable and accrued expenses in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. During the first quarter of 2023, we entered into an amendment with this educator partner who started earning typical content fees, which are recorded within cost of revenue in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Leases

We determine if an arrangement is a lease and the classification of that lease, if applicable, at inception by evaluating various factors, including if the contract conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration and other facts and circumstances. Right-of-use (“ROU”) assets represent our right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and are included in operating lease ROU assets, on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments according to the arrangement and are included in operating lease liabilities, current and non-current, on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We do not have any finance leases.

ROU assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the commencement date based on the present value of minimum remaining lease payments over the lease term. For this purpose, we include payments that are fixed and determinable at the commencement date, including initial direct costs incurred and excluding lease incentives received. We use the implicit rate when it is readily determinable. Otherwise, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of future lease payments. Our lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise such options. Our lease agreements may contain variable costs such as common area maintenance, insurance, real estate taxes, or other costs. Variable lease costs are expensed as incurred in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Operating lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

We do not separate lease and non-lease components and do not recognize ROU assets and operating lease liabilities that arise from leases with an initial lease term of 12 months or less.

In addition, impairment of an ROU asset and other lease related assets, including leasehold improvements, furniture and fixtures, and computer equipment, that results from entering into a sublease arrangement is recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations in the period the sublease agreement is executed. We recognize sublease income as a reduction to our operating lease expense on a straight-line basis over the sublease term. Refer to Note 6 for additional information.

Internal-Use Software and Website Development Costs

We capitalize certain costs associated with our internal-use software and website development during the application development stage when management with the relevant authority authorizes and commits to the funding of the project, it is probable that the project will be completed, and the software will be used as intended. These costs include personnel and related employee benefits expenses for employees who are directly associated with and who devote time to software and website development projects. Such costs are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the related asset, which is approximately two to five years, and are recorded within cost of revenue in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Costs incurred prior to meeting these criteria, together with costs incurred for training and maintenance, are expensed as incurred within research and development in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Intangible Assets, Net

Intangible assets, net is stated at cost, net of accumulated amortization. We amortize our finite-lived intangible assets on a straight-line basis over an estimated useful life of two to six years. Amortization of content assets and developed technology is included in cost of revenue, and assembled workforce is included in research and development, both in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

We monitor events and changes in circumstances that could indicate the carrying amounts of our long-lived assets, including deferred partner fees, property, equipment, software, intangible assets, and operating lease ROU assets, may not be recoverable. When such events or changes in circumstances occur, we assess the recoverability of long-lived assets by determining whether the carrying value of such assets will be recovered through their undiscounted expected future cash flows. If the future undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying amount of these assets, we recognize an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the assets. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recognized an impairment loss of $861 related to capitalized internal-use software and website development costs. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we recognized an impairment loss related to deferred partner fees of $2,915, related to our operating lease ROU asset of $2,304, and related property and equipment of $904. There were no impairments of long-lived assets during the year ended December 31, 2021.

Revenue

We recognize revenue from contracts with customers for access to the learning content hosted on our platform and related services. Revenue is recognized when control of promised services is transferred to our customer. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration that we expect to be entitled to receive in exchange for these services. We apply judgment in determining our customer’s ability and intent to pay, which is based on a variety of factors, including the customer’s historical payment experience, credit, or financial information. Consumer revenue customers are required to pay in advance.

At contract inception, we assess the performance obligations, or deliverables, we have agreed to provide in the contract and determine if they are individually distinct or if they should be combined with other performance obligations. Contracts that contain multiple performance obligations require an allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation based on each performance obligation’s relative standalone selling price. We combine performance obligations when an individual performance obligation does not have standalone value to our customer. For example, our customers do not have the ability to take possession of the software supporting our platform and, as a result, our contracts are typically accounted for as service arrangements with a single performance obligation.

We have a stand-ready obligation to provide learners continuous access to our learning platform and deliver related support services for a specified term. For this reason, these services are generally viewed as a stand-ready performance obligation consisting of a series of distinct daily services. We typically satisfy these performance obligations over time as the services are provided. A time-elapsed output method is used to measure progress because our efforts are expended evenly throughout the period given the nature of the promise is a stand-ready service. Fixed fees for these services are generally recognized ratably over the contract term.

We include any fixed consideration within our contracts as part of the total transaction price. Generally, we include an estimate of the variable amount within the total transaction price and update our assumptions over the duration of the contract. None of our contracts contain a significant financing component. We do not include taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities within the total transaction price.

At times, we are party to multiple concurrent contracts or contracts that combine multiple services. These situations require judgment to determine if multiple contracts should be combined and accounted for as a single arrangement. In making this determination, we consider (i) the economics of each individual contract and whether or not it was negotiated on a standalone basis, and (ii) if multiple promises represent a single performance obligation.

Contract modifications require judgment to determine if the modification should be accounted for as (i) a separate contract, (ii) the termination of the original contract and creation of a new contract, or (iii) a cumulative catch-up adjustment to the original contract. When evaluating contract modifications, we must identify the performance obligations of the modified contract and determine both the allocation of revenues to the remaining performance obligations and the period of recognition for each identified performance obligation.

We generate revenue from our three reportable segments: Consumer, Enterprise, and Degrees. Refer to Note 14 for our disaggregation of revenue. We are generally the principal with respect to Consumer and Enterprise revenue as we control the performance obligation and are the primary obligor with respect to delivering access to course content. Additionally, we have inventory risk through recoupable advances sometimes paid to educator partners.

Consumer Revenue

We generate revenue from consumers by selling access to learning content hosted on our platform. Consumer products include certifications for single courses, professional certificates, and catalog-wide subscriptions. Access to single courses are generally purchased at a fixed price for a set period of time, typically six months. Specializations are a series of courses offered by the same educator partner, and learners are provided access to these courses on a month-to-month subscription basis. Coursera Plus is our catalog-wide consumer subscription product, sold in monthly or annual subscriptions. All Consumer learners pay in advance, and revenue is recognized ratably over the contract term once access has been granted to the learner, as learners have unlimited access to the course content during the contract term.

Consumer learners are entitled to a full refund up to two weeks after payment is received. We estimate and establish an allowance for refunds based on historical refund rates, which was immaterial as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Enterprise Revenue

We sell subscription licenses to businesses, organizations, governments, and educational institutions that provide their learners with the ability to enroll in courses and Specializations and receive certifications upon completion. Enterprise contracts are typically between one and three years in length and consist of selling a fixed quantity of catalog licenses that grant each learner access to our learning platform and unlimited course enrollments over the license term. We recognize revenue ratably over the contract term once access has been granted to the Enterprise customer.

Degrees Revenue

Universities contract with us to facilitate the delivery of their bachelor’s and master’s degree programs or postgraduate diplomas. Degrees revenue contracts involve the performance of a number of promises, including but not limited to hosting the degree content on our learning platform, providing content authoring tools, course production support, marketing, and platform technical support services. As a result, the university is our customer with respect to Degrees revenue. We earn a service fee based on a percentage of total tuition collected by the university from Degrees students, net of refunds. As a result, the revenue we earn is dependent upon the number of learners enrolled and the tuition charged by the university. This is a form of variable consideration, and we estimate the amount of revenue using an expected value method. These estimates are refined each reporting period until the consideration becomes known, generally at the time the final term enrollment report is provided by the university. We have a stand-ready obligation to perform services throughout the contract term during which degree content is hosted on our platform. Degrees revenue is generally earned and paid by the university for each academic term and is recognized ratably from the start of a term through the start of the following term.

The Degrees learning experience is delivered on the same proprietary learning platform used by Consumer and Enterprise customers. There is no direct contractual revenue arrangement between Coursera and Degrees students, whose contractual arrangement is directly with the universities. In addition to the learning platform, the universities are obligated to provide their students with additional services, such as designing the curriculum, setting admission criteria, making admission and financial aid decisions, real-time teaching, independently awarding credits, certificates, or degrees, and providing academic and career counseling. For these reasons, the universities control the delivery of degrees hosted on our platform. As a result, we recognize only the service fee we receive from the universities as our Degrees revenue.

Deferred Revenue

Deferred revenue, or contract liabilities, consists of consideration recorded in advance of performance obligations being delivered and is classified as current or non-current based on the related period in which services are expected to be provided.

Contract Acquisition and Fulfillment Costs

Contract acquisition costs consist of sales commissions and related payroll taxes associated with obtaining contracts with Enterprise and Degrees customers.

Deferred Commissions

Contract acquisition costs are costs we incur that are directly related to securing a contract and are primarily related to sales commissions and related payroll taxes earned by our Enterprise and Degrees sales forces. These costs are deferred and then amortized on a straight-line basis over the expected period of benefit. We amortize these costs over four years, since the commissions paid upon a contract renewal are not commensurate with the commissions paid on the initial contract, and as such, the sales contract term is not commensurate with the expected period of benefit. Sales commissions and related payroll taxes primarily paid for Enterprise contract renewals are amortized over the renewal term, which is generally two years.

Deferred commissions and related payroll taxes are recorded within deferred costs or other assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, depending on the timing of the related amortization. They are amortized to sales and marketing in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

On an annual basis, we assess the expected period of benefit by taking into consideration the average contract term length, the life of the underlying technology, and other factors. Based on our prior year assessment, we determined that the expected period of benefit should be increased from three years to four years. This change in accounting estimate was effective January 1, 2023 and is accounted for prospectively in our Consolidated Financial Statements. For the year ended December 31, 2023, this change resulted in a $3,496 benefit to sales and marketing. There was no change in the amortization period for contract renewals.

Deferred Partner Fees

These fulfillment costs are paid to educator partners in advance of completing our performance obligations; are recorded within prepaid expenses and other current assets or other assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, depending on the timing of the related revenue recognition; and are amortized into cost of revenue ratably over the subscription term.

Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue consists of content costs, which are generally fees paid to educator partners, and expenses associated with the operation and maintenance of our platform. These expenses include the cost of servicing support requests from paid learners and educator partners; hosting and bandwidth costs; amortization of acquired technology and internal-use software; customer payment processing fees; and attributed depreciation and facilities costs.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for an asset or the “exit price” that would be paid to transfer a liability in the principal or most advantageous market in an orderly transaction between independent market participants on the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs, where available. This hierarchy prioritizes the inputs into three broad levels as follows:

Level 1— Inputs are unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2— Inputs are quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets or inputs that are observable for the assets or liabilities, either directly or indirectly through market corroboration, for substantially the full term of the financial instruments.

Level 3— Inputs are unobservable inputs based on our own assumptions used to measure assets and liabilities at fair value. The inputs require significant management judgment or estimation.

The classification of a financial asset or liability within the hierarchy is determined based on the lowest-level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

Concentrations of Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject us to concentration of credit risk consist of cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities. We only invest in high-credit-quality instruments and maintain our cash equivalents and marketable securities in fixed-income securities. We place our cash primarily with domestic financial institutions that are federally insured within statutory limits.

For the purpose of assessing the concentration of credit risk with respect to accounts receivable and significant customers, we treat a group of customers under common control or customers that are affiliates of each other as a single customer. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, we did not have any customers that accounted for 10% or more of our revenue. As of December 31, 2023 we had one customer that accounted for 10% of our net accounts receivable balance that has since been collected within typical business terms.

Our business model relies on educational content and credentialing programs from educator partners. Our largest educator partner has global brand recognition and supplies a variety of in-demand content across multiple domains. The loss of or significant reduction in this partnership or one of our other largest partners could have a material impact on our results of operations and cash flows.

Income Taxes

We are treated as a corporation under applicable federal and state income tax laws and are subject to income taxes in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining our income tax expense and deferred tax assets and liabilities, including evaluating uncertainties in the application of accounting principles and complex tax laws.

We utilize the asset and liability method under which deferred tax assets and liabilities arise from the temporary differences between the tax basis of an asset or liability and its reported amount in the Consolidated Balance Sheets, as well as from net operating losses (“NOLs”) and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax amounts are determined by using the tax rates expected to be in effect when the taxes will be paid or refunds received, as provided for under currently enacted tax law. The effect on deferred taxes of changes in tax rates and laws in future periods, if any, is reflected in the Consolidated Financial Statements in the period enacted. A valuation allowance is established if, based upon the available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. We consider the available evidence, both positive and negative, including historical levels of income, expectations, and risks associated with estimates of future taxable income in assessing the need for a valuation allowance. Certain of our earnings are indefinitely reinvested offshore and could be subject to additional income tax if repatriated. It is not practicable to determine the unrecognized deferred tax liability on a hypothetical distribution of those earnings.

Determination of income tax expense requires estimates and can involve complex issues that may require an extended period to resolve. We recognize estimated tax liabilities when such liabilities are more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the taxing authority. Further, the estimated level of annual earnings before income tax can cause the overall effective income tax rate to vary from period to period. Final determination of prior-year tax liabilities, either by settlement with tax authorities or expiration of statutes of limitations, could be materially different than estimates reflected in assets and liabilities and historical income tax expense. The outcome of these final determinations could have a material effect on our income tax expense or cash flows in the period that determination is made.

We recognize interest and penalties related to income tax matters as a component of income tax expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

We measure and recognize compensation expense for stock-based awards granted to employees, directors, and non-employees based on the estimated grant date fair value. Stock-based awards include restricted stock units (“RSUs”), stock options, and restricted stock awards as well as stock purchase rights granted to employees under our employee stock purchase plan (“ESPP Rights”).

The fair value of RSUs and restricted stock awards is based on the fair value of our common stock on the grant date. We estimate the fair value of stock options and ESPP Rights using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which requires the use of the following assumptions:

Expected Term—The expected term represents the period that our stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding. For option grants considered to be “plain vanilla,” we determine the expected term using the simplified method. The simplified method deems the term to be the average of the time to vesting and the contractual life of the options. For ESPP Rights, the expected term represents the term from the first day of the offering period to the purchase date.

Risk-Free Interest Rate—The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant for zero-coupon U.S. Treasury notes with maturities approximately equal to the expected term of the stock option or ESPP Rights.

Expected Volatility—The expected volatility is derived from the average historical stock volatilities of several unrelated public companies within our industry that we consider to be comparable to our business, and to the extent available, our historical volatility over a period equivalent to the expected term of the stock option. The expected volatility is based on the historical volatility of our common stock over the estimated expected term of ESPP Rights.

Dividend Yield—The expected dividend was assumed to be zero as we have never paid dividends and have no current plans to do so.

Stock-based compensation is generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which usually matches the vesting period. Forfeitures are recognized as they occur.

Net Loss Per Share Attributable to Common Stockholders

Basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is computed in conformity with the two-class method required for participating securities. Prior to our IPO, we treated all series of our redeemable convertible preferred stock as participating securities, since such stockholders had the right to receive non-forfeitable dividends on a pari passu basis in the event that a dividend was paid on common stock. Under the two-class method, the net loss attributable to common stockholders was not allocated to the redeemable convertible preferred stock as the preferred stockholders did not have a contractual obligation to share in the Company’s losses.

Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed by giving effect to all potentially dilutive common stock equivalents to the extent they are dilutive. For purposes of this calculation, redeemable convertible preferred stock, common stock options, RSUs, and ESPP Rights are considered to be common stock equivalents but have been excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders as their effect is anti-dilutive for the periods presented.

Comprehensive Loss

Comprehensive loss includes net loss and other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax. Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, refers to revenue, expenses, gains, and losses that under GAAP are recorded as an element of stockholders’ equity (deficit) but are excluded from net loss.

Research and Development

Expenditures for research and development of our technology and non-refundable contributions to develop educator partner content are expensed when incurred unless they qualify as internal-use software development costs. Research and development costs consist principally of personnel costs, consulting services, content development contributions, and attributed facilities costs.

Advertising Costs

Advertising costs are expensed as incurred and are included in sales and marketing in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, these costs were $44,818, $39,940, and $28,740.

Foreign Currency

The majority of our sales contracts are denominated in U.S. dollars. In addition, the functional currency of our international subsidiaries is U.S. dollars. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the functional currency are remeasured to the functional currency at period-end exchange rates. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses resulting from remeasurement are recognized within other expense, net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In November 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which requires public entities to disclose information about their reportable segments’ significant expenses and certain other segment items on an interim and annual basis if they are regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”). This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. Early adoption is permitted. The amendments should be applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented. Upon transition, the segment expense categories and amounts disclosed in the prior periods should be based on the significant segment expense categories identified and disclosed in the period of adoption. We expect that the adoption of ASU 2023-07 will not have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which requires public entities on an annual basis to disclose (1) specific categories in the tax rate reconciliation and (2) income taxes paid disaggregated by jurisdiction. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The amendments should be applied on a prospective basis, though retrospective application is permitted. We are currently evaluating whether the adoption of ASU 2023-09 will have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures.