Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn has some explanations. Earlier this year, the company was quickly cited as how AI eliminates the industry’s work after the language learning app released an internal memo on prioritizing AI in hiring and eliminating contractors. In fact, Duolingo has no plans to replace full-time employees with AI, Von Ahn clarified in a recent interview with The New York Times. He admits that this confusion is his fault for not providing “enough background”.
“It’s on me,” bounced von Ann. “Outside, as a publicly traded company, some people think it’s just for profit. Or we’re trying to fire humans. That’s not the intention at all.”
Duolingo was co-founded by Von Ahn in 2011 and is known for its popular language learning courses. The company went public in 2021 and is currently worth $16.7 billion. As of August, its active monthly active users have increased by 24% to 128.3 million in the past year.
Duolingo’s Pivot for AI has driven most of the momentum that the company has launched new features, such as the Openai-powered video call tool, which allows subscribers to practice conversations with fictional characters.
Von Ahn said Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based company has long leaned towards new technology and automation, but the latest advances in AI have turbocharged its ambitions. “About 95% of people don’t want to talk to others in language they are not very satisfied with,” he told the New York Times. “The good thing is that you’re not judged by a computer.”
AI also improves the company’s productivity. Von Ahn said the mission that once took years can now be completed within weeks, and in April he announced plans to make Duolingo a “first company in AI”. The memorandum outlines goals such as using AI to handle previously completed work by temporary contractors and evaluates how employees merge AI during performance evaluation and limit employee growth to roles that cannot be automated.
Nevertheless, Von Ahn stressed that contractor phase-outs do not apply to full-time employees. “We never fired any full-time staff. We don’t plan to do that,” he said. In acknowledging that AI will reshape the work, he thought it would not replace humans, but help them achieve more. To do this, Duolingo holds weekly meetings for employees to try the technology.
The rise of AI has also introduced new challenges. Language learners can now practice conversations directly with chatbots, creating new competition for Duolingo’s model. However, Von Ahn is confident that the company’s unique brand (marked with romping messaging, viral marketing and positive social media image) gives it an advantage.
“Just doing things like chatgpt in French can get boring,” Von Ahn said. “The difference from learning a language or learning anything is participation.”
