Duolingo’s CEO, Luis von Ahn, recently announced that the language-learning platform would adopt an “AI-first” approach, a declaration that has stirred criticism and concern regarding the company’s future workforce structure. While von Ahn remains optimistic about the potential of artificial intelligence, he faced backlash for not adequately contextualizing Duolingo’s strategic shift.
In a recent statement, von Ahn emphasized that Duolingo aims to leverage AI to enhance its services, expressing his bullish outlook on the technology’s capabilities. We love that his company has designated every Friday morning for all hands to explore AI innovations. This program has been crucial to creating a robust culture of experimentation.
As the company made the shift to an AI-first model, concerns began to mount regarding the company’s workers. Duolingo laid off a quarter of its contractor staff last week, raising alarms that similar layoffs could soon hit full-time employees. In response to these worries, von Ahn promised to allay fears on all counts, saying his company as a rule won’t fire full-time employees. No one’s making those cuts, he stressed.
Externally, as a publicly traded company, there’s a perception that you must be doing it only for profit. Or that we’re looking to replace people with robots. And that was definitely not the purpose at all,” von Ahn said.
He further elucidated how the contractor workforce consistently shifts to meet Duolingo’s ever-changing demands. Confirmation of this, he explained, is not uncommon for the fast-moving technology sector. Though detractors have pushed back against the company’s strategic pivot, Duolingo is as buoyant as ever. Its financial performance has proven surprisingly resilient in the face of this major transition.
Duolingo is tackling this new direction with gusto and passion. It continues to be mission driven with the goal of accessing language education to all, but now has built in cutting edge technologies. The leadership is focused on ensuring that the company’s workforce remains stable and that its expansion into AI will ultimately benefit users without sacrificing employment.