What to know

  • Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn announced the company is transitioning to an "AI-first" approach, gradually phasing out contractors for work that AI can handle.
  • The company will consider AI usage in hiring decisions and performance reviews, and only add headcount if teams cannot automate more of their work.
  • This follows a previous 10% contractor reduction in early 2024, part of a broader trend of companies integrating AI into their operations.

Duolingo, the popular language learning platform, is making a significant shift in its business strategy by embracing an AI-first approach. According to an email posted on LinkedIn by co-founder and CEO Luis von Ahn, the company will "gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle."

Von Ahn explained that becoming "AI-first" means the company needs to "rethink much of how we work" and that "making minor tweaks to systems designed for humans won't get us there." This strategic pivot includes several "constructive constraints" that will guide the company moving forward.

As part of these changes, Duolingo will look for AI usage when making hiring decisions and incorporate AI utilization into performance reviews. Teams will only receive additional headcount if they can demonstrate they cannot automate more of their work.

Von Ahn emphasized that "Duolingo will remain a company that cares deeply about its employees" and clarified that "this isn't about replacing Duos with AI." Instead, he framed the shift as "about removing bottlenecks" so employees can "focus on creative work and real problems, not repetitive tasks."

The CEO highlighted content creation as an area where AI has already made a significant impact. "One of the best decisions we made recently was replacing a slow, manual content creation process with one powered by AI," von Ahn stated. "Without AI, it would take us decades to scale our content to more learners."

This announcement follows earlier moves in the same direction. In January 2024, Duolingo reportedly cut approximately 10% of its contractors as part of its initial steps toward adopting generative AI for content development.

Duolingo isn't alone in this approach. Other major tech companies have made similar moves recently. Salesforce cut more than 1,000 jobs earlier this year while hiring workers to sell new AI products. Meta has also continued performance-based dismissals, with AI integration playing a role in reshaping its operational structure.

While acknowledging that "change can be intimidating," von Ahn expressed confidence that embracing AI will be a significant step forward for Duolingo, helping the company "better deliver on our mission" while allowing employees to "stay ahead of the curve in using this technology to get things done."

Via: TheVerge