Forget expensive leadership training—CodeSignal’s AI tool brings coaching to everyone

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Forget expensive leadership training—CodeSignal’s AI tool brings coaching to everyone

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More CodeSignal, known for its technical skills assessment platform, is making a significant pivot into leadership and communication training with a new AI-powered conversation simulation tool. The move represents a strategic expansion beyond the company’s core technical […]

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CodeSignal, known for its technical skills assessment platform, is making a significant pivot into leadership and communication training with a new AI-powered conversation simulation tool. The move represents a strategic expansion beyond the company’s core technical assessment business, which has attracted clients like Netflix, Capital One, Meta, and Dropbox.

The San Francisco-based company’s new offering uses voice-enabled AI to simulate workplace scenarios, allowing users to practice difficult conversations like delivering feedback or resolving conflicts. The system provides real-time coaching through an AI mentor named Cosmo.

“Leadership training often costs $20,000 to $40,000 per person for a one-month program,” said Tigran Sloyan, CEO of CodeSignal, in an exclusive interview with VentureBeat. “For a 10-person executive team, you’re looking at a multi-million dollar price tag, which means it’s never been accessible to anyone below the executive level.”

The platform’s rapid growth suggests strong market demand for accessible skills development tools. CodeSignal’s learning platform has attracted one million users in less than a year since launch, with user base and usage doubling every two months, according to Sloyan.

The technology leverages recent advances in generative AI and voice models to create realistic conversational partners. Early feedback suggests the AI-powered approach may have advantages over traditional role-playing with human actors.

CodeSignal’s new AI conversation simulator presents users with workplace scenarios and a 5-minute window to practice difficult management conversations, guided by Cosmo, an AI mentor. (Credit: CodeSignal)

How AI simulation outperforms human role-playing for leadership training

“The feedback has been higher on average than with human role-playing,” Sloyan said. “When you’re doing real actors, usually it’s a workshop with other people watching. The fact that you have no judgment with AI and can practice as many times as needed takes the pressure off.”

The company is targeting the underserved middle management segment, where traditional leadership development programs have been cost-prohibitive. The solution is priced at $25 monthly for individuals and $39 per user monthly for enterprise licenses.

Beta customers have deployed the platform for management training, sales training, and interviewer preparation. “We don’t want sales people practicing on actual customers,” Sloyan explained. “Now they can practice customer scenarios with AI first.”

Market expansion and mobile learning: What’s next for CodeSignal

The expansion comes as businesses increasingly focus on developing leadership capabilities across organizational levels. CodeSignal appears well-positioned to capitalize on this trend, with plans to launch a mobile version later this year to enable on-the-go learning.

“Skills are changing faster than ever, driven by transformative technologies like AI,” said Sloyan. “This idea of lifelong, constant learning is more important than it has ever been before.”

The move into leadership development could help CodeSignal capture a larger share of corporate training budgets while diversifying beyond technical assessments. The company faces competition from established leadership development firms and new AI-powered learning platforms, but its combination of technical expertise and AI capabilities may provide competitive advantages in the rapidly evolving market for workplace skills development.

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