Essentially, there's a very broad attempt to brand an actually regressive business bet as progressive. Microsoft (and Github) would love to appear generous, but

Essentially, there's a very broad attempt to brand an actually regressive business bet as progressive. Microsoft (and Github) would love to appear generous, but they aren't. Most Americans don't go to college and the vast majority don't get 4-year degrees. Those who do are the wealthier, more privileged 3/5 to 4/5 of the country. Some are scraping by on financial aid or scholarships, but as a whole, they'll have more money than other people throughout their careers. As a result, it's a good marketing investment to give free access to those students capable of putting up 10K+ USD/year in tuition. In the future, a large number of them will be target customers or possibly subsidized via their employers. Taking bets on self-taught people without those financial resources (present or future) is a great, prosocial thing to do, but it's not necessarily profitable.