Quick Facts
- Duolingo removed AI usage from employee performance reviews after workers questioned being forced to use AI ‘for AI’s sake’
- CEO Luis von Ahn admitted the company was pushing something ‘that in some cases did not fit’ following internal resistance
- The reversal comes after Duolingo faced massive social media backlash in 2025 for its aggressive AI-first strategy
Duolingo has abandoned its policy of evaluating employees based on their AI usage after CEO Luis von Ahn acknowledged the approach created problems within the company.
Von Ahn told TechRadar that employees began asking “Do you just want us to use AI for AI’s sake?” after the language learning company introduced AI usage as a performance metric. The CEO admitted the company was “trying to push something that in some cases did not fit.”
“At the end, we backtracked, and we said no, look. The most important thing in your performance is that you are doing whatever your job is as well as possible,” von Ahn explained. “A lot of times, AI can help you with that, but if it can’t, I’m not going to force you to do that.”
The policy reversal marks the latest course correction for Duolingo following intense backlash over its AI strategy. In April 2025, von Ahn announced the company would become “AI-first,” including plans to phase out contractors if AI could perform their work.
The announcement triggered severe user backlash. Duolingo lost over 400,000 TikTok followers in weeks and was forced to delete all posts from Instagram and TikTok in May 2025. Daily active user growth slowed to 40% year-over-year in Q2 2025, down from 60% in previous years.
Von Ahn later acknowledged on earnings calls that his AI comments dampened user growth. “I said some stuff about AI, and I didn’t give enough context,” he admitted in August 2025.
Despite the controversy, Duolingo’s business metrics remain strong. The company’s stock rose 30% after beating quarterly revenue estimates, with management anticipating over $1 billion in revenue. The company launched 148 new AI-created courses in 2025, compared to 100 courses developed over the previous 12 years.
The reversal reflects growing recognition across the tech industry that AI adoption cannot be mandated through performance metrics alone. While companies like Meta and Google have implemented AI usage expectations, Duolingo’s experience demonstrates the risks of forcing AI adoption without clear business justification.
For 2026, Duolingo is deliberately prioritizing user growth over financial metrics. The company guided to slower bookings growth of 10-12% and revenue growth of 15-18%, representing a step-down from 2025’s pace as it focuses on rebuilding user trust.
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