Ankur Warikoo has announced that he is shutting down his online courses business, even though the venture generated more than Rs 100 crore in revenue and remained profitable over the last five years. The announcement caught many people online completely off guard.
Sharing the update through a video posted on X, Warikoo said the decision came after building what he described as a successful business with lakhs of students and crores in profit. Still, according to him, continuing the venture no longer made sense.
Ankur Warikoo says he is shutting down courses business
In the video, Warikoo said, “I am shutting down my courses business. After 5 years, 5 lakh students, and Rs 100 crore in revenue, all profitable. Completely shutting it down.”
He also shared a longer statement alongside the clip.
“I am shutting down my 100 crores courses business. We’ve grown beyond what I could have imagined since we started in 2020. 5 lakh students. 100 crores in sales. 25 crores in profits. But it makes no sense to continue it,” he wrote.
Warikoo added that he plans to explain the decision in greater detail in another video scheduled for May 16 at 8:30 pm.
The entrepreneur launched the courses business in 2020 and gradually built a massive audience online through finance, productivity and career-related content.
Today, he has more than 7 million subscribers on YouTube, close to 7 lakh followers on X and nearly 4 million followers on Instagram.
AI comment grabs attention online
Soon after the announcement, social media users began speculating about the reason behind the shutdown.
One user directly asked whether artificial intelligence had influenced the decision, commenting: “AI Impact?”
Warikoo’s reply was short, but it immediately grabbed attention online.
“huge,” he responded.
That single word triggered even more discussion, with many users wondering whether AI tools are beginning to reshape the online education and creator business space faster than expected.
Social media users react to surprise announcement
Several people online said they were shocked that a profitable business with such a large student base was being voluntarily shut down.
“Lagtaaa hai kuch aurr bhi bada haaath laga hai. Jokes apart. This is a huge step sir. I am curious to see what’s coming. Best wishes for your future endeavours. Thank you for giving us such a broad perspective of little things around us. You're truly an inspiration,” one user wrote.
Another commented, “I am sure something bigger and better coming up considering your vision to change the whole education ecosystem of India ! Jo bhi hoga, badhiya hoga! Best wishes, always..May you & your team find joy in whatever coming next.”
Some users also raised concerns about students already enrolled in the programmes.
“You are an exceptional teacher and a source of inspiration. However, what about the students who enrolled recently and have not yet completed the course?” one person asked in the comments section.
For now, Warikoo has not shared further details publicly, but many followers are waiting for his next video to understand what exactly led to the decision.
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