Duolingo laid off 10% of its contract workers last year as it began using AI to generate content|focal5|CC BY-NC 2.0
Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn has officially said it will be an “AI-first” company and gradually phase out contractors whose work can be done by artificial intelligence.
In a company-wide mail, von Ahn added that fresh hiring will occur after teams prove they can’t automate certain tasks. AI will also play a major role in hiring and performance reviews.
Duolingo laid off 10% of its contract workers last year as it began using AI to generate content.
The language learning platform has grown its paid user base from under 2 million in 2021 to over 8 million in 2024. Von Ahn is looking to scale the e-learning content rapidly, and AI is the best bet for quick creation.
However, he stressed that the move isn’t about replacing “Duos with AI” but about cutting repetitive work so employees can focus on creative work and problem-solving.
Duolingo’s move is similar to what CEOs of Shopify and Uber indicated earlier this month.