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I'm trying to find a source to support your argument but I'm not having any luck.

Coursera's original course offerings gave free certificates upon completion. My understanding is that MOOCs started charging for certifications in an effort to pay the bills. The jury is still out on whether these certifications are taken seriously or not.

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They did give certificates, but a vocal minority was not happy that they were not Stanford/MIT,... issued certificates.

It boils down to your last sentence:

> The jury is still out on whether these certifications are taken seriously or not.

Many people were taking those courses under the expectation that the certification would be highly prestigious and felt defrauded when that wasn't the case. The fact that they paid nothing only made matters worse because people feel more entitled when they pay nothing for a service.

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