I Was Expelled from Peterson Academy

By Dusty May Taylor

Disclaimer: The following is my personal testimony, written honestly and in good faith. Our story was also investigated by The Toronto Star, you can read their report here.

In August of 2024, after a painful divorce and the sudden death of my sister, I optimistically logged-in to Peterson Academy for the first time. Jordan Peterson, for whom the platform is named, is someone whose honesty and determination I’ve admired for years. Through his podcast I was introduced to the dream of an online streaming platform showcasing the best professors in the world, while offering an affordable education and academic community to those who might otherwise be unable to avail themselves of such. I happened to fall under that category for various historic reasons, and was very excited.

That it was experimental was a given. It was a dream, and a complete unknown insofar as the social aspect goes: Was it even possible to have a social media environment that did not devolve into mindless trolling, engagement farming, and catfishing? The hope was that the paywall of roughly $500 USD would minimize such, but there was no guarantee. After all, Jordan Peterson himself acknowledges that the common traits amongst online trolls are Dark Tetrad personality traits—Machiavellianism, Narcissism, Psychopathy, Sadism—and not poverty.

I was amongst a crew of “Beta Users” on the platform, who paid $450 USD to access the existing courses and as-yet incomplete Social platform. The Social feature was simple and seemed to mimic the layout of early Facebook: Profile. . . Feed. At the start, there were no other features to speak of aside from the ability to comment on lectures (as one might on YouTube). There was no Direct Messaging for many months, and to this day there is no Block feature. Strangely—and perhaps ironically given the founder is Jordan Peterson of “Rules for Life” fame—there was also no Code of Conduct.

In short, Peterson Academy Social was the Wild West reimagined as a digital desert of Jordan Peterson fans, avid learners, free speech champions and bored Millennials.

Early estimates for Peterson Academy put the platform somewhere around 20,000 subscribers, and this rose to 40,000 by 2025 (according to the founders in numerous podcasts). Users of the Social feature represented an extreme minority. Anecdotally, I would estimate Social had 500-800 users actively participating on any given week between August 2024 and January 2025.

I loved the idea of pioneering an intellectually-inclined, uplifting and creative free speech platform—one with a culture akin to a thriving university campus—and participated frequently. My posts consisted of lengthy reflections related to course content (with discussion questions and debates in the comments); poetry (which Social users wrote and discussed on “Poetry Sundays”); art (which was eventually collapsed into “Bob Ross Mondays,”); and life updates I would share for interest and accountability. One user, Jeffrey Van Leeuwen, started a podcast wherein he interviewed Peterson Academy students who wanted to share their stories (my personal episode can be found here, and the episode where he interviewed myself and Frankie after we were expelled is here). [EDIT: Update – Jeffrey has since been expelled from Peterson Academy, for publishing the podcast with Frankie and I.]

Rather than a culture of resentment and envy, active Social users tended to support each other in their endeavors, interpreting these as inspiration to pursue their own. I personally laid out a plan to publish my book by Spring 2025, and now had the sort of peers who would help encourage and hold me accountable.

As Jordan Peterson has shared publicly, there were few “bad actors,” but what is not commonly known is the unease in the Peterson Academy community regarding the manner in which “bad actors” were removed. For instance, the first to be expelled was a writer exploring the platform as a journalistic endeavor. I know first-hand that one student was offered an interview and told by Peterson Academy administration not to participate. When the journalist was expelled, it raised some important questions: Seeing as there was no Code of Conduct, on what grounds was he banned? Was it for holding an unfavourable view of Jordan Peterson, and the endeavor in general? Was cynicism a bannable offense? Or, was it the risk of him publicizing users’ personal content? Was this against the rules? If so, why did Peterson Academy administration occasionally share user comments and posts? (At one point it was possible to share a Peterson Academy Social post to platforms such as X, but this feature has since been removed.)

It was generally agreed upon that the journalist wasn’t there as a wide-eyed fan or avid learner—but he had paid, and the rules were not clear. It also gave the impression of hypocrisy, as Peterson Academy’s landing page claimed it was “Free of Ideology.”

Another problematic user was affectionately known as “ALL CAPS KEVIN”—whose real name was almost certainly not Kevin. His behaviour was much as you might expect, and after a few days of the Social feed being filled with bizarre posts and harassment, he vanished. Was he good for the platform, behaving as he was currently? No. Did he have the benefit of a Code of Conduct, or a strike system, or any recourse? It would seem. . .also no.

Some members of Peterson Academy began to ask why, months into the platform, we did not have a Code of Conduct or Block feature. Even though there were only 30,000 students at this time, that is still $15M USD of revenue; and as many of the users also had software engineering experience (even offering to help if it meant things moved faster), some of us wondered why Peterson Academy was not yet able to deliver these important features. It would not be fair to say we were upset, but we did occasionally wonder. They were questions, but not outright criticisms. It was also peculiar that anonymity was permitted, while Jordan Peterson had frequently referenced transparency as a necessary element for a healthy and productive online environment.

The strangest bad actor was “Snoopy LeBeef” (his profile picture being the character from the Peanuts cartoon). He was highly active and flooded the feed with character attacks against the community, abstract concepts and (occasionally witty) insults. His behaviour ultimately escalated to the point of abuse, and after weeks of users reporting him he was finally expelled. As a particular target of his, my stress levels decreased significantly. Again however: No Code of Conduct to make violations clear, no public efforts from admin to warn him (and assure the community his abuse would not be accepted indefinitely), and no Block feature. When he was gone, Peterson Academy Social users experienced a mixture of relief and dismay: It seemed community members could be disappeared at a moment’s notice. As many of us were there to support free speech principles, this was unsettling—but surely it would never happen to us.

Expelled

This brings me to my own expulsion. Our subscription pages seemed to indicate that our yearly rate would renew as-is, thus users mistakenly believed this was a benefit of early enrollment. I expected to pay another $700 CAD in August 2025, to continue watching the streaming content and engage with my new online community. (I had no problem with this and considered it well worth it, though at this time the AI quizzes were 5-10 questions long and not accurate; there were no essay features; no professor interaction or human assessments; and no exams.)

It therefore came as quite the surprise when in late December 2024, a banner appeared on our login pages informing us we had a few weeks to purchase 3 additional years at our current rate, or else the subscription renewal rate would increase by 20%. Users argued with each other about whether this was true for existing subscribers or not. I emailed Peterson Academy Support for assistance and was told they had undercharged us initially, and not only would it go up by 20%, but that there would be more increases later. (Afterpay was an option, but for individuals such as myself who do not purchase on credit, not viable.)

I was not yet convinced $700 CAD for a year of online streaming and beta Social use was undercharged, and wondered what and when the future price increases would be.

Myself and others inquired of Mikhaila Fuller, the CEO of Peterson Academy (Jordan Peterson’s daughter), on the Social page. Interacting with her was common practice by now (Jordan Peterson is not active on the platform). We wanted to know the timeline for price increases for our enrollment, and what features and improvements would be delivered congruent to these. As Peterson Academy Social had always been a lively place—full of gentle jabbing and debates, as well as memes which admin had shown approval of—one user posted a pointed meme depicting “Price Hike” as one of Mikhaila Fuller’s New Year’s Resolutions.

(Confession: The user was a friend of mine. I sent the meme to her as a private joke making light of things, and she asked permission to post it. Her nickname was “The Queen of Meme.” She was the court jester of the academy; so while I would not have risked it myself, I assumed the post would be taken in good humour if it came from her. This was a very clear miscalculation on my part, and “Don’t do it!” would have been the wiser response. She was careful not to include Mikhaila’s name or image in the version of the meme she posted.)

This did not go over well. Mikhaila quote posted the user, addressing the Peterson Academy community with a paragraph outlining her personal job history from the age of 8, and indicated that if users had a problem with the price increase they should get a better job or work harder. She also indicated that $1,000 USD was the goal for our yearly subscriptions ($4,000 for 4 years).

The backlash she received from these remarks was notable. Her post was flooded with heavily up-voted criticisms, as well as stories from people on disability, retirees, veterans, single mothers, and enrollees from developing nations. There were also comments in support of Mikhaila’s post, which found themselves summarily downvoted. While this was not indicative of moral standing, it was a barometer of community sentiment and the way in which her remarks were received.

For my part, I attempted to push back as diplomatically as I could. Though I understood the competing interests at hand—as well as the significant efforts being put forth by Mikhaila and her team—I was not impressed with the assumptions she appeared to be making about the community I cared for. I continued to explain that not everyone could easily afford a surprise lump payment for 3 years of educational streaming service at once, and that it made sense for us to ask questions about development timeline and the schedule for price increases so we could make an informed decision. At that moment it was still primarily a streaming platform. When would more academic features be available? The questions were valid.

To my surprise, I soon found the Social feed flooded with some of the most uncharacteristically condescending posts I’d ever encountered at Peterson Academy, from a user who sounded for all the world like an incognito PR representative (though they probably weren’t). They stated bluntly that people asking questions or sharing stories of financial hardship did not follow or understand the teachings of Jordan Peterson; then they asked what everyone did for a living. Mikhaila Fuller and her husband reposted this user’s remarks. I quote-posted her remarks as well, in defense of the character of the community I cared about: these are good people, who have a diversity of stories, and are not to be held in derision.

On January 8^th, 2025, after a week of the CEO (perhaps unintentionally) escalating tensions with a combination of pointed silence and pointed remarks, she issued a final ultimatum: downvotes had been replaced with hearts, and anyone who had problems with the price increase or who felt administration owed them a response could ask for a refund and leave.

I found this extremely bizarre: an unnecessary act of grandstanding when all that was required was a clear answer and a bit of empathy. Nobody wanted constant one-on-one communication with management, and while some were upset by the price change, others simply needed help deciding if buying three years at once was wise.

I was reading through the community’s extremely chaotic reactions when suddenly my screen refreshed, I was logged out of my account, and found that my password and username were no longer valid. A few hours later I received a refund with no accompanying explanation.

Aside from the stress of feeling that Jordan Peterson’s daughter had digitally guillotined me in front of my online community, I lost 5 months of course progress and time investment; access to the social fabric I’d invested in; and 5 months’ worth of conversations and written content. I was given zero warning, zero recourse, had not asked for a refund or posted provocatively, and had no time to backup my content or request my friends’ contact information. In fact, if one user had not already persuaded me to communicate on another platform, I’d have found myself completely isolated from the community I’d built. This was the case for multiple other users who had the same experience that morning. In a tongue-in-cheek manner, we refer to it as “J-8^th.” (I would argue that Peterson Academy banned its funniest members that day, but I admit I’m biased.) Others were banned subsequent to this for daring to create posts asking questions about the situation, and where their friends had gone.

By now you may realize how ridiculous and avoidable this situation was. I couldn’t agree more: It was a case study in absurdist miscommunication and kneejerk offense. Having had ten days to process, I remain angry that my written content and time investment were taken from me, upset that I was cut off from community, and displeased the people I care about were addressed with contempt by a person they admired. At the same time, I accept that Peterson Academy is not “the dream” of itself but “the reality” of itself: An educational streaming platform in development, with very specific ideas of who the users should be and what they should say.

The Code

The latter was proven when the much-anticipated Code of Conduct (COC) was released following the purge. The COC is a vague document, and not likely to have been written by Jordan Peterson himself. Highlights include:

“This is a civilized place, and we plan to keep it that way. . . . That means, on the side of hospitality, that all those who bring all they could be to the Academy will be truly welcome, but on the enforcement side, that you will be required to leave if you act in the provocative, derisive, narcissistic and troublemaking manner that characterizes far too much conduct on far too many other platforms.”

“We will be recommending our participants and graduates to potential colleagues, partners and employers everywhere, and we will ensure that our recommendation truly means something. . . We cannot do this believably and effectively if we do not monitor actions on our own platform and take immediate remedial steps when we see behavior that indicates exactly the immaturity, irresponsibility and provocativeness that would make us doubt a student’s suitability for our imprimatur.”

And, my personal favourite:

“We are also seriously not fond of ad hominem attacks, insults, ALL CAPS, or derisive acronyms. Keep the LMAO’s and their like to a minimum, therefore (preferably to zero).”

Though I am now one of the Banished Ones, I find myself relieved to learn they are “seriously not fond” of ad hominem attacks. It is very ironic that Jordan Peterson is the man who consistently warns Canadians against vague laws being passed, which can be interpreted any which way and result in punitive action being taken against troublesome citizens. It is also a great relief that potential employers can browse a pool of job-seekers who refrain from the reckless use of acronyms. As Jesus remarked, there is always the temptation for institutional types to “Strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” (Matthew 23:24, NKJV) But for the grace of God, there go I.

I have filed a complaint requesting the return of my posted content—which was deleted arbitrarily but is likely backed up—and that my access to the courses be restored so I can complete the first year of studies I have already invested half a year in. I accept that Peterson Academy has a certain image to uphold, and that the sort of free-thinking and contrary individuals who enrolled as early adopters may not be desirable if one’s goal is to market a pool of enrollees to potential employers. Perhaps this is not a problem: fewer of this type of employee are needed in the job market, and many of them start their own businesses. Regardless, if behaviour on the Social page (ironically renamed the Quad in recent weeks) is equivalent to a job interview, there is no rational way of comparing Peterson Academy to the peer-to-peer social community one might experience at a traditional university. As things stand at the time of the writing of this testimonial, this is not a promise I believe Peterson Academy can keep.

In summary, in the process of being expelled from Peterson Academy I have formed a different understanding of what it is: A fantastic streaming platform featuring some of the world’s best professors and content I adore—though with podcasts and other alternatives available on the market I am not sure I could justify paying $1,450 CAD / year for it without accreditation. If the events of the past few weeks had not occurred, I might feel differently. I am genuinely concerned by the lack of security enrollees have, and the lack of recourse should their academic progress be stripped from them at the whim of the CEO. I am thankful there are other ways to learn, but certainly wish I could finish the courses I began and retrieve my content. I do not believe the action taken against me was justified, and as of today see no indication they intend to relent.

UPDATE (04/2025): Since posting this blog, Peterson Academy has submitted the following response to my Better Business Bureau complaint:

“We regret that this individual’s removal from our platform was necessary due to multiple complaints of harassment, targeting and bullying, which violated our guidelines. Though our 7-day refund policy had lapsed after six months of access, we provided a full refund in good faith, ensuring no financial loss.

Our social platform supports educational discourse, and moderation upholds this goal. Upon account closure, access to content ceases, and user posts are not retained. We understand their disappointment, and wish them well in their future pursuits.”

I rejected the response, asking them to provide proof of the behaviour they were accusing me of. I never once in 6 months received an email or warning from PA regarding my conduct. As of now, no further response.