MasterClass launched in 2015 with a bold premise: what if the world’s most accomplished people taught classes to anyone? The platform features high-production-value video courses taught by household names — Gordon Ramsay teaches cooking, Martin Scorsese teaches filmmaking, Serena Williams teaches tennis, and Neil deGrasse Tyson teaches scientific thinking, among many others.
Each class typically includes 15-25 video lessons, a downloadable workbook, and community discussion features. The production quality is cinematic — these aren’t webcam recordings but professionally filmed and edited lessons that feel more like a documentary than a typical online course. That polish is a huge part of the appeal.
MasterClass works on an annual subscription model, giving members access to every class in the library. The catalog has grown to over 200 classes across categories like arts, business, sports, music, writing, cooking, and wellness. While the instruction comes from genuine experts, critics sometimes note that the classes lean more toward inspiration and storytelling than hands-on skill building.
The company has raised over $460 million in funding and was valued at around $2.75 billion. It’s expanded internationally and added more practical content to complement its signature celebrity-led format. MasterClass occupies a unique space in EdTech — it’s part education, part entertainment, and has brought a premium feel to online learning that few competitors can match.
