Company Description
Gaotu Techedu Inc. (NYSE: GOTU) is a technology-driven education company in China that focuses on enabling lifelong learning through AI-powered solutions. According to the company’s public disclosures, Gaotu provides AI-powered, product-led learning solutions for learners from pre-school to adulthood and operates as an online large-class tutoring service provider. The company states that it combines rare, high-caliber teaching resources with AI-enhanced tools and content to create engaging and effective learning experiences delivered through both online and offline channels.
Gaotu’s business centers on learning services and educational content & digitalized learning products. The company adopts an online live large-class format to deliver its courses, which it believes is an effective and scalable model to disseminate scarce high-quality teaching resources to aspiring students in China. In its descriptions, Gaotu emphasizes that AI and data analytics permeate its operations to adapt content and teaching methods to individual learner needs, enhance efficiency and support sustained learning progress.
Based on the company’s own explanations of its operating metrics, Gaotu uses gross billings as a key non-GAAP performance measure. Gross billings are defined as the total amount of cash received for the sale of course offerings in a given period, net of refunds. The company generally bills students for the entire course fee at the time of sale and recognizes revenue proportionally as classes are delivered. For some courses, Gaotu continues to provide students with access to pre-recorded audio-video courses for extended periods after the live courses are delivered, which it cites as part of its digitalized learning product offering.
Gaotu highlights the role of AI-powered solutions in cultivating learner interest and driving continuous growth across the full learning lifecycle. Public statements describe a focus on embedding AI deeply into educational products and learning services, integrating AI across teaching, services and operations, and using data analytics to improve teaching delivery, student learning experience and operational efficiency. The company also notes that big data analytics permeates every aspect of its business and facilitates the application of technology to improve learning outcomes.
In its communications with investors, Gaotu describes itself as pursuing healthy and sustainable growth by refining operational execution, improving organizational efficiency and optimizing resource allocation. The company discusses efforts to strengthen its pipeline of high-quality teachers, enhance execution, and use data-driven operations. It also references investments in course and service quality, user experience, and systematic teacher development, as well as branding and marketing activities, as part of its approach to building and scaling its education platform.
Gaotu’s financial disclosures reference both GAAP and non-GAAP measures, including non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP income (loss) from operations and non-GAAP net income (loss), which exclude share-based compensation expenses. The company states that it uses these non-GAAP measures to evaluate operating results, support financial and operational decision-making and facilitate internal comparisons to historical performance. It also notes the limitations of non-GAAP metrics and that they may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.
Gaotu’s shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol GOTU. The company files an annual report on Form 20-F and periodic current reports on Form 6-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which include its financial results and further detail on its learning services, educational content and digitalized learning products. These filings, together with the company’s press releases, provide additional context on its business model, operating metrics and the role of AI, big data and online large-class formats in its education offerings.