[thrwayaistartup]

Universities do not have a monopoly on education or on learning. You can go teach someone today, no questions asked. You can even charge them for the favor, if you want.

Universities DO have a monopoly on credentialing. Credentialing, contrary to popular opinion in these parts, is actually a useful function.

Providing education and credentialing is not typically free. You need to acquire physical space, hire teachers, and so on. Education could be at least one order of magnitude less expensive than it is now, and it some cases probably even two orders. Education could also be subsidized 100% for the first N most qualified candidates, at point of use, using tax dollars. But there is no way to make it free.