Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn has clarified earlier remarks where he declared the company would become an “AI-first company,” attributing the ensuing criticism to a lack of context. Von Ahn stated that the declaration was not controversial internally, but externally, it led to assumptions that the company’s focus was solely on profit or employee layoffs.
In an interview, von Ahn emphasized that Duolingo has “never laid off any full-time employees” and has no plans to do so. While acknowledging fluctuations in the contractor workforce, he noted this has always been dependent on company needs since its inception. Despite external criticism, von Ahn remains optimistic about AI’s potential, with Duolingo team members dedicating Friday mornings to experimenting with the technology, humorously referring to these as “f-r-A-I-days.”
