Partnering with universities, CodePath offers free, supplemental courses in cybersecurity, mobile app development, web development, and technical interview preparation to prepare students for AI-powered tech careers. In this Q&A, CEO Michael Ellison highlights how CodePath creates economic mobility, the significance of leveraging technology to boost opportunity, and his vision for transforming the tech industry.
At Blue Meridian Partners, we seek to transform life trajectories for American young people, which is why we’re proud to invest in CodePath’s work. What connects you to this mission?
I know what it means to be a young person with big dreams and limited options. I grew up in rural Maine. My father was incarcerated when I was five. My parents soon split, and our family became homeless. We moved 12 times over the next five years. Despite everything, we maintained our belief in the power of education. My mom went to incredible lengths to give us access to good schools, even when that meant two-hour-plus commutes.
I’ll never forget those ice-cold 4:30 am showers, walking 10 minutes to the dock, catching a 45-minute ferry to the mainland, and then riding in a car for over an hour to get to a school in a town we couldn’t afford to live in. That commute was about more than getting to school, it was about chasing opportunity we didn’t have access to otherwise. It wasn’t easy, but I felt lucky. My mom’s faith in me made me feel like anything was possible. And even though my dad wasn’t always around, I inherited something important from him too: the ability to dream big, even when life felt small.
Because my parents sacrificed so much for me, I felt a deep responsibility to keep going. I didn’t just want to catch up to my peers, I wanted to move ahead. I’ve always believed that to do that, you have to be audacious. You take risks. You think big. And you don’t let your past or your current circumstances define you.
I got lucky. I took risks, failed, and kept going. My experiences drove me to break the cycle for myself and others. That drive is baked into CodePath’s DNA. We exist because too many students from underrepresented backgrounds like mine— whether they’re low-income, first-generation college students, or people of color— never even get an opportunity to consider tech careers, which are some of the best levers for economic mobility.
Everyone deserves a shot at getting ahead, no matter where they come from. That’s why I do this work.
What inspired you to found CodePath?
My co-founders and I all come from low-income backgrounds and went on to become successful serial tech entrepreneurs. We wanted to create the best technical education in the world and make it available to students from backgrounds like ours.
We knew the system could work differently because we’d experienced firsthand how much of it was built around access, not ability.
Computer science degrees and internships are still the most common pathways into high-paying tech jobs. But by the time most companies begin thinking about expanding their talent pipelines (typically looking at college juniors or seniors), many students from underrepresented groups have already left computer science altogether. We need to make sure that everyone has the skills needed for the future of work. And ultimately, a deeper understanding of technology will also allow people to create new and better solutions to drive positive change in their communities.
The disparity gap starts early, and it grows wider over time. CodePath exists to change that trajectory. We’re focused on building the best technical education and employment preparation in the world. And we primarily partner with schools that serve large populations of low-income and first-generation college students. We know that when students have access to the right skills, support, and confidence early in their journey, they stay in the field, land lucrative jobs, and go on to lead in their communities.
CodePath is how we change the system so thriving becomes the default.
What is CodePath’s approach to boosting economic mobility by leveraging the field of technology?
Our approach is to create the first AI-native generation of tech engineers, CTOs, and founders.
That’s our mission, and it drives everything we do. As AI reshapes every industry and job, students need more than just basic digital and data literacy. They need deep technical fluency and hands-on experience with the tools that will define the future of work.
Yet too many students, especially those from low-income and underrepresented backgrounds, are locked out of that future because our education system wasn’t built to prepare them for it.
CodePath tackles this gap by partnering with universities nationwide to deliver rigorous, industry-aligned technical training at scale. Our programs equip students with the skills, networks, and support needed to thrive in the AI era, bridging the gap between potential and opportunity.
Through our curriculum, students build applications, pass technical interviews, and learn how to use AI to increase productivity. But beyond skills, we also focus on community. We connect students with mentors and peers who’ve overcome similar obstacles. That kind of support can make all the difference.
How are you using technology to increase CodePath’s impact at scale?
CodePath uses AI to personalize the educational experience for students, making it more approachable and accessible. We prototyped and launched an AI Career Coaching Agent that provides immediate and personalized career support. Our blended approach allows students to interact with both human mentors and AI tools, like this agent, for their learning and career development. We’ve also introduced an AI tutor agent that helps students troubleshoot challenges in real time, while making our teaching assistants up to 10x more effective by triaging issues and providing full context for faster, higher-impact support. This enables us to scale CodePath’s impact because it gives us the ability to provide individualized, tailored support and feedback without increasing cost or capacity. In addition, we use AI to simulate code reviews and we plan to roll out other AI-driven solutions such as front-line class support, technical tutoring, and personalized course and program recommendations.
What impact has CodePath seen thus far?
In our first seven years, CodePath has trained more than 36,000 students. On average, our alumni see an 80% increase in successful job or internship placement. For students from underrepresented backgrounds, including those who identify as Black, Latino/a, and Indigenous, that figure rises to 97%. We’re incredibly proud of the average salary after graduation being $92,000, because we know what this means for individuals, their communities, and entire regions.
As of 2024, we have deep partnerships with more than 100 colleges and universities, where we train professors and deliver curriculum directly. We also have students enrolled in CodePath courses at over 600 additional schools across the country.
Which university partnerships are you particularly excited about?
Scaling while maintaining quality is one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of our work. Every partnership matters, and we’re proud of the student success stories that come from each school.
That said, two areas stand out.
First, our partnerships with HBCUs have been especially meaningful and fulfilling. With support from funders, we’ve been able to build capacity and train professors across multiple campuses.
Second, our place-based strategy in South Florida has shown what’s possible when you go deep in a region. From 2021 to 2023, we partnered with Florida International University (FIU), Miami Dade College, and Florida Memorial University to support nearly 700 students—resulting in more than 200 students and alumni landing technical roles. As of 2025, over 1,000 FIU students have taken CodePath courses. The scale and impact we’ve seen there is really energizing.
If CodePath was successful beyond your wildest dreams, what would that look like?
Our goal is to serve 100,000 students a year by 2030. But our ultimate vision is to reach every computer science student in the country with CodePath’s curriculum and support.
That would allow us to transform the tech industry in a way that expands economic mobility and prioritizes access for all. At that scale, the impact would be felt across cities and communities nationwide.
Additionally, all sectors, from cancer research to space exploration, are leveraging technology, and they need engineers who can interface with AI and with humans. As technology and the future of work continue to evolve, CodePath has the potential to accelerate US innovation, and our graduates can be a core lever behind that.