Duolingo will replace contract workers with AI

The Verge - Apr 29th, 2025

Duolingo, led by co-founder and CEO Luis von Ahn, has announced a strategic shift to become an 'AI-first' company. This transition involves gradually reducing the use of contractors for tasks that can be automated by AI, integrating AI into hiring processes and performance evaluations, and limiting headcount increases to scenarios where automation is insufficient. The move aims to eliminate bottlenecks, allowing employees to focus on creative and complex tasks while scaling content creation capabilities significantly.

This decision mirrors a broader trend in the tech industry, similar to a recent announcement by Shopify's CEO, emphasizing AI's growing role in operational efficiency. By adopting AI-first approaches, Duolingo aims to enhance its mission of providing scalable, high-quality educational content faster than traditional methods allow. The initiative underscores the importance of AI in achieving business goals and maintaining competitive advantage in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.

Tech Industry Automation Duolingo Luis Von Ahn Ai First Strategy Contractors Educational Technology

Story submitted by Fairstory

RATING

7.2

Fair Story

Consider it well-founded

The story effectively communicates Duolingo's strategic shift towards an AI-first approach, offering insights into the company's plans and the rationale behind them. While it provides a clear and factual account, it primarily reflects the perspective of the company's leadership, lacking input from other stakeholders. The topic is timely and relevant, given the increasing role of AI in business operations, and the article could influence discussions on the future of work. However, it would benefit from more balanced coverage of potential challenges and ethical considerations associated with AI integration. Overall, the story is well-written and informative, but it could be strengthened by incorporating a wider range of perspectives and more detailed analysis of the implications of these changes.

Accuracy

The story presents a factual account of Duolingo's shift towards an AI-first strategy, as articulated by CEO Luis von Ahn. The claims about phasing out contractors, incorporating AI in hiring and performance reviews, and the strategic pivot to AI are supported by multiple sources. However, some claims, such as the exact percentage of contractor reduction and the specifics of AI's role in performance reviews, require further verification. The story accurately reflects von Ahn's statements, but the lack of detailed data on implementation timelines and the scope of AI integration leaves room for potential inaccuracies.

Balance

The story predominantly presents the perspective of Duolingo's leadership, particularly Luis von Ahn, without much counterbalance from employees or industry experts. While it outlines the strategic benefits of AI, it does not explore potential downsides or concerns from the workforce, such as job security or the ethical implications of AI use. This focus creates a somewhat one-sided narrative that could benefit from a more balanced exploration of different viewpoints.

Clarity

The story is well-structured and clearly communicates Duolingo's strategic shift towards AI. The language is straightforward, and key points are highlighted effectively, making the article easy to follow. However, the inclusion of more technical details about AI implementation could enhance understanding for readers unfamiliar with the topic.

Source quality

The primary source of the story is an internal email from Duolingo's CEO, which is a credible and authoritative source for company policy announcements. However, the story could enhance its reliability by including insights from independent experts or additional stakeholders, such as employees or industry analysts, to provide a more comprehensive view of the implications of these changes.

Transparency

The article clearly attributes its information to a memo from Duolingo's CEO, providing transparency about the source of its claims. However, it lacks detailed explanation of the methodology behind the AI integration and the potential impact on the workforce. More context about how these changes will be implemented and monitored would improve the story's transparency.