K-12 software is a $40 billion market. These companies are worth $6 trillion. So why are they here?

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]Open AAI, Google, and Microsoft all made their AI products free for teachers.

[00:00:05]They don't need the money. So, what do they actually want? K to2 software is barely a $40 billion market. And I know that's a lot, but these companies are worth 6 trillion combined. Well, there's one thing they all want, and that's to become the default. Whatever platform kids learn on becomes the default for the rest of their lives, whether at work or at home. Google gave schools free Gmail and Google Docs in 2006. Microsoft did it a decade earlier with cheap Office licenses. Kids grew up on these tools and never switched. And a leaked Google memo from January spelled it out more directly. Their internal slides literally call schools a pipeline of future users. Getting kids into the Google ecosystem early means loyalty for life. So, no, they aren't entering these markets because they give a about the kids, but owning the AI defaults of the next generation.