Microsoft strengthens position in education with FlipGrid acquisition

Microsoft announced they have acquired Flipgrid Inc., the leading social learning platform used by more than 20 million Pre-K to PhD educators, students and families in 180 countries. Like Office 365 Education software, Microsoft will also be making Flipgrid free for schools so it’s easy for any school to utilize the software. Customers who purchased a subscription from Flipgrid will receive a prorated refund.

Flipgrid was created by Dr. Charlie Miller (Chief Design Officer), who joined Jim Leslie (CEO) and Phil Soran (Board Director) to co-found the company in 2015. Flipgrid’s mission is to empower educators as they help students define their voices, share their voices and respect the diverse voices of others.

“We're thrilled to see the impact Flipgrid has had in social learning thus far and look forward to helping them continue to thrive as part of the Microsoft family,” said Eran Megiddo, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft. “We’re diligently committed to making sure their platform and products continue to work across the Microsoft, Google and partner ecosystems to benefit students and teachers everywhere.”

Microsoft – which aims to empower every student on the planet to achieve more – sees Flipgrid as an ideal way to help teachers and students build social emotional skills beyond traditional curricula. In collaboration with McKinsey & Company, Microsoft recently conducted a global research study which explores the key skills the Class of 2030 will need, and the study confirms that 30 to 40 percent of the fastest-growing occupations will require explicit social-emotional skills.

“Flipgrid has enabled all of my students to shine, showing me their true level of understanding and empowering them to learn from each other," said Paul Watkins, a teacher from Neath Port Talbot, Wales.

In joining Microsoft, Flipgrid will retain its distinct brand, culture, and team focused on amplifying the voices of all students. Expanding Flipgrid's accessibility across the global educator community, the company will also align with Microsoft's GDPR, FERPA and COPPA compliant privacy architecture to ensure Flipgrid continues to be a safe, secure place for students and teachers to communicate.

"Flipgrid has always been about the educator community. They are the source of our innovation and impact,” said Leslie. “Now as a part of Microsoft, we have the opportunity to scale so we can support every educator across the globe as they empower student voice."

Both companies see growth of the Flipgrid community and the social learning movement as a move that will have a lasting impact on society as students become responsible, confident digital citizens, and teachers using Flipgrid are seeing this firsthand in their classrooms today.  

“Flipgrid helps my students develop their communication skills, increase self-awareness and grow from failure, setting them up to contribute positively to the world,” said Lucretia Anton, a teacher in the Arcadia Unified School District in California.

New Flipgrid updates will launch and be livestreamed from Minneapolis on August 1 at Flipgrid's annual educator conference, #FlipgridLIVE, an event with more than 800 educators in attendance and a global online audience.

"It's an honor and a privilege to work with educators around the world as they empower and amplify students' voices,” said Miller. “The Microsoft Education team has shown unparalleled enthusiasm and support of our mission, and we’re excited for this new chapter for the Flipgrid community." 

To learn more about refunds for Flipgrid classroom, visit blog.Flipgrid.com/refund.