Microsoft acquires Flipgrid in social video push for education

Microsoft announced today that it has acquired Flipgrid, a video-based social learning platform for schools. Going forward, Flipgrid will be provided for free to schools, and anyone who has already purchased a subscription within the last year will receive a refund.

Flipgrid is a video platform for schools that seeks to increase student engagement in the learning process by allowing kids to create and share videos on specific topics and projects with one another. The service currently sports a user base of more than 20 million people across 180 countries.

"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."

Flipgrid is the latest piece of Microsoft push into the education market. Office 365 Education software is already provided for free for students and teachers, and Teams for Education is consistently adding new features for educators and students alike. Microsoft last year also launched Windows 10 S alongside a range of partner devices built for students.