Yoodli named to TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026

TIME named Yoodli to its Best Inventions of 2026 list, the magazine’s annual roundup of 300 products, services, and breakthroughs reshaping industries and improving lives. The magazine recognized Yoodli in the Education category for its AI roleplays, which give people a realistic, judgment-free place to practice the conversations that matter most.

That’s why we built Yoodli on a simple belief: people get better by doing, not by watching. Seeing TIME recognize that belief means a lot to our team and our customers. Here’s the story behind the honor and what it says about where learning is headed.

What is TIME’s Best Inventions list?

For more than 25 years, TIME’s editors have compiled an annual list of the most impactful new products and ideas. Nominations come from TIME’s correspondents around the world and from an open application process. TIME’s editors then judge every contender on originality, efficacy, ambition, and impact.

Why Yoodli was recognized

Yoodli is the AI Platform for Human Skills. It helps people get measurably better in their careers, and it helps organizations upskill their workforce for an AI-first world.

Yoodli started with AI roleplays, giving people a realistic, judgment-free place to practice high-stakes conversations like sales calls, interviews, and presentations. Over time, customers extended the platform to onboarding, certifications, AI tool enablement, and embedded coaching, and Yoodli grew into the AI Platform for Human Skills, which launched on October 7th. Five capabilities power it:

• Yoodli Roleplays: Hyper-realistic roleplays and tutors that draw on each organization’s real context and score learners against its own rubrics
• Yoodli Personas: Enterprise-ready AI experts that work inside roleplays and off platform, with human escalation paths included
• Yoodli Create: Measurable, personalized learning journeys you can build from a single prompt, in minutes rather than weeks
• Yoodli Coach: Personalized, real-time coaching in the flow of work, from prep over the phone to conversation tips on Zoom
• Yoodli Measure: Progress toward skill attainment, with clear explanations and visuals for both learners and leaders

Together, these capabilities meet learners where they work and shift the measure of learning from completion to proof of application.

“What TIME is recognizing is a shift in how organizations think about learning itself. People don’t get better by watching slides or reading docs. They get better by practicing real scenarios, getting feedback, and repeating until it becomes a habit. Yoodli makes that possible for every learner, in the flow of their work, and gives leaders proof that it’s working.”
— Esha Joshi, president, chief customer officer, and co-founder, Yoodli

The customers who made this real

Recognition like this reflects what customers build, not only what we ship. Yoodli’s customers range from Google, Snowflake, and Databricks to governments, pharmaceutical companies, and banks.

In education and the public sector, the University of Washington uses Yoodli to prepare students for job interviews, and the government of El Salvador uses it to train doctors on talking with patients.

In 2026, programs powered by Yoodli also earned customers Google, Intuit, and VML combined 15 Brandon Hall Group awards. Each of those stories is worth reading on its own.

“Communication and the speed at which you upskill are the most important determinants of success, especially in an AI-first world. We believe in humans in that world, and we built Yoodli to help people get measurably better in their careers. This recognition belongs to every customer who trusts us with how their people learn, practice, and grow.”
— Varun Puri, CEO and co-founder, Yoodli

Why proof of application matters now

Most learning tools measure completion: did someone finish the course? However, that number says little about whether a person can perform when it counts. As AI changes how work gets done, the speed at which people build new skills matters more, and so does proof that those skills show up on the job.

That’s the shift TIME’s recognition points to: learning that meets people in the flow of their work, adapts to each learner, and shows leaders what actually changed.

What’s next

Today, Yoodli has about 100 employees, up from 25 in May 2025, and recently moved into a new headquarters at Pier 70 on the Seattle waterfront. The company also made LinkedIn’s 2026 Top Startups list for Seattle. In addition, GeekWire covered the platform launch and the road ahead.

Want to see the AI Platform for Human Skills in action? [Book a demo](link: demo page) or try Yoodli.