Who controls Duolingo?

Duolingo is a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: DUOL) whose control is concentrated with its co-founders through a dual-class share structure, rather than being owned by a single entity.

Who is Duolingo owned by?

Duolingo Ownership Overview

Duolingo ownership is primarily held by its shareholders since its IPO. Co-founders Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker are the largest individual shareholders. As of February 29, 2024, Luis von Ahn held 3.63 million shares. Severin Hacker held 3.61 million shares as of February 29, 2024.

Why is Duolingo pushing LGBTQ?

Duolingo incorporates LGBTQ+ themes to reflect its diverse, global user base and promote inclusivity, showing queer characters like Lin, Bea, and Oscar in everyday, normalized situations as part of its core mission to make education universally accessible and relatable, a stance that has led to both praise and scrutiny, including an investigation in Russia. The company believes this representation normalizes LGBTQ+ lives, challenging stereotypes by showing queer people as a regular part of human experience, not just sensationalized stories. 

Is Duolingo a Chinese-owned app?

US-based edtech company Duolingo is doubling down on its commitment to China, one of its fastest-growing international markets, as the company eyes deeper investment and partnerships to tap into the rising demand for language learning and English proficiency tests.

Why are people leaving Duolingo?

People are deleting Duolingo primarily due to concerns about its shift towards an "AI-first" approach, which led to replacing human contractors with AI-generated content, resulting in lower quality, grammatically incorrect, and culturally insensitive lessons, alongside the removal of helpful community forums and a focus on gamification over genuine learning, alienating long-term users who felt the company prioritized profit and efficiency over education. 

I did Duolingo for 2000 days. Can I speak Spanish?

Why is everybody canceling Duolingo?

As it leans deeper into AI, the soul of the platform—the human connection behind language—is getting lost. Language learning isn't just about memorizing words. It's about connecting with people. And until Duolingo can get back to that core, many users will keep saying: “No thanks, Duo and I am one of them.

Is Oscar from Duolingo LGBTQ?

Yes, Oscar from Duolingo is canonically LGBTQ+; he is gay, meaning he is attracted to men, and is officially recognized by Duolingo as one of their queer characters, alongside Bea (bisexual) and Lin (lesbian/genderqueer).
 

Why is Duolingo falling?

Duolingo's stock is falling due to investor concerns over its strategic shift prioritizing user growth over immediate profits, AI competition, slowed growth rates, and recent CFO changes, despite strong user metrics; Wall Street dislikes the uncertainty and potential for lower near-term margins, even as long-term prospects look solid.
 

Is Duolingo a Russian company?

Duolingo, Inc. is an American educational technology company that produces learning apps and provides language certification.

Why is Duolingo saying duo died?

In February 2025, Duolingo ran a fictional marketing campaign in which its mascot, Duo the Owl, was portrayed as having “died.” As part of this staged narrative, Duolingo posted humorous content implying that Duo had been hit by a Tesla Cybertruck.

Why do people say not to use Duolingo?

In the translation exercises (which are the bulk of what Duolingo is about), the software is programmed to only accept one right answer. This is problematic as most languages have many ways of saying the same thing. Students who input an answer that is right but not recognised on Duolingo may think they are wrong.

What is replacing Duolingo?

Alternatives to Duolingo: Who Does It Better?

• Mondly – The Motivation Champion. Mondly centers on learning without repetitive memorization. ...
• Mosalingua – From Basic Flashcards to Our Favorite App. ...
• Rosetta Stone – An Intuitive Path to a New Language.

Are there LGBT characters in Duolingo?

Oscar is a gay character from Duolingo.

What did Duolingo CEO say?

Duolingo CEO admits his controversial AI memo 'did not give enough context' and insists the company never laid off full-time employees. Billionaire Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn has a message for his employees: He doesn't want to lay them off.

What is Duolingo's biggest competitor?

Duolingo's biggest competitors are generally considered to be Babbel, Rosetta Stone, and Memrise, with Babbel often seen as its closest rival due to similar gamified approaches but deeper grammar, while Rosetta Stone focuses on immersion, and Memrise uses flashcards and native videos, all competing for users seeking different learning styles. Other strong alternatives include Busuu, which offers community feedback, and platforms like italki for direct conversation practice.
 

Is Duolingo 100% correct?

No, Duolingo is not 100% accurate for achieving true fluency or passing high-level exams on its own, but it's highly effective for building foundational vocabulary, basic grammar, and conversational skills, especially as a supplementary tool alongside other resources like media and real conversations to bridge the gap to higher proficiency. While Duolingo's practice tests have improved in accuracy, learners often find the actual test or real-world application more challenging, requiring deeper contextual understanding and spontaneous conversation practice beyond the app's scope. 

What are Duolingo's weaknesses?

Duolingo's weaknesses include its lack of depth for serious learners, focus on gamification over real-world fluency, unnatural sentences, limited grammar explanations, and reliance on robotic audio, making it less effective for conversational skills, requiring supplementation with other resources, and sometimes frustrating users with its structure and AI-generated content. Key issues involve poor listening practice due to computer voices and the inability to self-correct effectively.
 

Is it hard to get 130 on Duolingo?

Yes, getting 130 on the Duolingo English Test (DET) (or Duolingo score in general) is considered excellent, representing a C1 (Advanced) level, which is challenging but achievable with strategic practice, focusing on consistency, timing, and specific test formats rather than just vocabulary. While it's difficult and requires significant effort, many learners reach this level by mastering test strategies, practicing consistently, and improving weak areas like speaking and writing for longer durations. 

Does Duolingo use AI?

Since 2012, the Duolingo app and its owl mascot Duo, have made learning a language an enjoyable experience for over 500 million learners in 194 countries with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.

Why are people getting rid of Duolingo?

People are deleting Duolingo primarily due to concerns about its shift towards an "AI-first" approach, which led to replacing human contractors with AI-generated content, resulting in lower quality, grammatically incorrect, and culturally insensitive lessons, alongside the removal of helpful community forums and a focus on gamification over genuine learning, alienating long-term users who felt the company prioritized profit and efficiency over education. 

What is the world's #1 language learning app?

Learn a new language with the world's most-downloaded education app! Duolingo is the fun, free app for learning 40+ languages through quick, bite-sized lessons.

Has anyone ever become fluent on Duolingo?

Probably not fluent. That requires intensive immersion where you are forced to USE the language extensively, rather than just LEARN it. That being said, Duolingo is great for learning vocabulary and verb conjugations. It will take you through the official levels of learning French.

Why did Michael kiss Oscar?

During the Season 3 episode “Gay Witch Hunt,” Michael tries to prove he's not homophobic and suddenly kisses Oscar on the lips. That kiss was not in the script—Steve Carell just went for it in the middle of the scene.

What is top 1% on Duolingo?

Being in the top 1% on Duolingo means being among the highest XP earners in your league, typically qualifying for the elite Diamond League and potentially the competitive Diamond Tournament, requiring immense dedication and consistently earning thousands of XP weekly to stay ahead of other serious learners in a global pool of millions of users.
 

Why does Lily from Duolingo not smile?

Lily's perpetually unamused facial expression has one clear message: stay away. Lily is one of the Duolingo main characters. She is an introverted, unenthused, deadpan goth teen, who secretly cares a lot.