Thoma Bravo, Instructure Push Forward with Buyout; CEO to Step Down

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 02/18/20

Instructure's CEO will be stepping down in a couple of weeks after the latest purchase agreement with Thoma Bravo is complete. A special shareholders meeting scheduled for Feb. 25, 2020 has been canceled. And the board of directors for the learning management system company has come up with a plan to get through the acquisition without shareholder approval.

Under the latest arrangement, Thoma Bravo will tender an offer by Feb. 24 to acquire all outstanding shares of Instructure common stock directly from shareholders. Late last week, the venture capital company raised its previous offer of $47.60 per share to $49 per share.

"The board unanimously supports this structure as the clearest path to maximize value for all Instructure stockholders," Josh Coates, Instructure executive chairman of the board of directors, said in a statement. "We encourage all stockholders to tender their shares in support of the transaction."

Dan Goldsmith, current Instructure CEO, will be leaving the company March 6. According to a press release, the company will form an office of the CEO with a group of senior executives to lead the business until a successor is named. The board said that it would hire an executive search firm to assist in finding a replacement. Goldsmith joined Instructure in June 2018, as president; he became CEO in January 2019.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • glowing digital brain-shaped neural network surrounded by charts, graphs, and data visualizations

    Google Releases Advanced AI Model for Complex Reasoning Tasks

    Google has released Gemini 2.5 Deep Think, an advanced artificial intelligence model designed for complex reasoning tasks.

  • abstract pattern of cybersecurity, ai and cloud imagery

    OpenAI Report Identifies Malicious Use of AI in Cloud-Based Cyber Threats

    A report from OpenAI identifies the misuse of artificial intelligence in cybercrime, social engineering, and influence operations, particularly those targeting or operating through cloud infrastructure. In "Disrupting Malicious Uses of AI: June 2025," the company outlines how threat actors are weaponizing large language models for malicious ends — and how OpenAI is pushing back.

  • cybersecurity book with a shield and padlock

    NIST Proposes New Cybersecurity Guidelines for AI Systems

    The National Institute of Standards and Technology has unveiled plans to issue a new set of cybersecurity guidelines aimed at safeguarding artificial intelligence systems, citing rising concerns over risks tied to generative models, predictive analytics, and autonomous agents.

  • magnifying glass highlighting a human profile silhouette, set over a collage of framed icons including landscapes, charts, and education symbols

    AWS, DeepBrain AI Launch AI-Generated Multimedia Content Detector

    Amazon Web Services (AWS) and DeepBrain AI have introduced AI Detector, an enterprise-grade solution designed to identify and manage AI-generated content across multiple media types. The collaboration targets organizations in government, finance, media, law, and education sectors that need to validate content authenticity at scale.