Duolingo dials back its 'unhinged' marketing

Tech Insider : Business
Duo, the mascot for the language-learning app Duolingo, appears on the red carpet at a TikTok event.
Learning app Duolingo has 17 million followers on TikTok, where its owl mascot plays a starring role. Duolingo is rethinking its TikTok strategy after seeing declines in organic reach.

Isa Foltin/TikTok via Getty Images

Duolingo's CEO says the company backtracked on evaluating AI use in performance reviews — here's why

Tech Insider : Business
Luis von Ahn wearing a dark blue t-shirt
Von Ahn said he won't force employees to use AI when it can't help them in their roles.

Bloomberg/Getty Images

Duolingo gives staff 2 weeks off over the holidays — and the CEO says it pays off

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
Luis von Ahn, cofounder of Duolingo, at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, on July 10, 2025.
Duolingo shuts down for two weeks every winter, and its CEO says the cost is worth it for real rest.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Duolingo's CEO highlighted this year's swarm of green owl Halloween costumes

Tech Insider : Business
Duolingo's green owl mascot
Duolingo's CEO talked about all the Duo-themed Halloween costumes on its earnings call on Wednesday.

Isa Foltin/Hoermanseder via Getty Images

Duolingo's ex-head of product says the best performers are not always the people with deep experience

Tech Insider : Business
Duolingo mascot and logo
Duolingo's former head of product said that "high agency" can be more important than experience.

illustration by Cheng Xin/Getty Images

Duolingo's CEO says he doesn't plan to lay off full-timers because of AI — but their jobs will change

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn at Sun Valley, Idaho.
"What will probably happen is that one person will be able to accomplish more, rather than having fewer people," Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn said of AI's impact on hiring.

Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images

Duolingo's CEO says he learned a hard lesson about 'edgy posts' and going viral

Tech Insider : Business, Style, Technology
Luis von Ahn, CEO of Duolingo, at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, on July 14, 2023.
Luis von Ahn, CEO of Duolingo, said AI could help speed up the integration of languages into the app.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The full list of major US companies slashing staff this year, including Meta, ExxonMobil, and Boeing

Tech Insider : Business, Economy, Environment
A Cargill meat processing plant in Arkansas.
Cargill is cutting 5% of its workforce.

Spencer Tirey/Getty Images

Duolingo CEO explains his approach to 'founder mode' — and what happens when executives disagree

Tech Insider
Luis von Ahn in vest and blue shirt.
Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Duolingo's CEO explains the move to bring employees back to the office — and why he thinks he avoided backlash

Tech Insider
Luis von Ahn at the Sun Valley Conference in 2023, wearing a blue collar shirt and black glasses, talking to someone.
When Duolingo first went remote, CEO Luis von Ahn told employees — and new hires — that they would eventually be going back to the office.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

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