Duolingo faced significant backlash for announcing that it would become an "AI-first" company -- and yet, the app posted strong financials this quarter.

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Duolingo's shift to an AI-first strategy, which involved phasing out contract workers and using generative AI to create 148 new language courses, faced significant public backlash on social media. Despite the criticism, the company exceeded quarterly revenue estimates, saw stock prices rise 30%, and expects over $1 billion in revenue this year with 40% growth in daily active users. CEO Luis von Ahn acknowledged the backlash affected growth metrics but emphasized that financial performance remained strong, demonstrating that negative public sentiment didn't translate to business impact.

The backlash against Duolingo going ‘AI-first’ didn’t even matter

<blockquote>
“We owe it to our learners to get them this content ASAP.”
</blockquote>
Please

So it begins. What’s tough is if you don’t join the automation creating team you’ll be left behind.

Looks like all the backlash wasn’t from the paid customers 😀