Duolingo was one of the most beloved brands in tech.
But in 2025, a leaked memo exposed the company’s true AI strategy: automate education. The backlash was instant. 

This is the inside story of Duolingo's unraveling: how a brand built on personality and playfulness lost user trust overnight, alienated its community, and put years of brand equity at risk – all while selling a different story to investors.

Chapters
(0:00) Why Duolingo users started quitting
(0:42) AI as a teaching tool – or a threat to quality?
(1:12) When Duolingo went all-in on AI
(2:07) The memo that kickstarted Duolingo’s downfall
(2:57) From viral love to viral hate
(3:17) Duolingo’s off-brand response
(3:52) The scramble to win users back
(4:12) What every founder (and brand) can learn

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Disclaimer: Hiten Shah's "The Hiten Show" episodes are provided for general information purposes only and do not constitute business, financial, or other professional advice. This video is purely my opinion and should not be regarded as a primary source. Audience members should not act upon the content or information found here without first seeking appropriate advice from an accountant, financial planner, lawyer, or other professional.

Hiten Shah

Duolingo faced massive user backlash in May 2025 after CEO Luis von Ahn published a memo advocating for full AI automation with the phrase 'humans won't get us there.' While the company had been quietly integrating AI since 2020 and saw stock prices triple, users perceived a drop in content quality and felt the brand lost its personal touch. The crisis escalated when users called new AI-generated content 'AI slop,' leading to viral TikToks, Reddit criticism, and mass app deletions. Duolingo's response included deleting social media content and the CEO later walking back some statements, highlighting the challenge of balancing investor expectations with user experience.

The REAL reason Duolingo users are deleting the app

Bird acts like a drug addict going through withdraw when you don’t use the app until late in the day.
I’m not exaggerating, they change the app icon depending on how long it’s been since you last did a lesson.

I just got fed up with all the relentless reminders, nonsensical phrases, and stupid leaderboards when all I wanted was to learn the basics at my own pace.
Deleted it almost one year ago and switched to other apps. I understand things did not improve since then.

People hating AI is like people thinking GTA causes violence. Nothing Duolingo said was factually wrong. People clinging to Human Labor need to adapt instead of keeping us from evolving.

The real reason I forgot Duolingo unused is that there is no real progress tracking, no measurement of my progress. It is like a never-ending road with a constant landscqpe. Another reason is that it seems there is no one there to read what you complain. They are so focused in their own ideas that they forget the pure and simple empathy with the end-user.

Investors? Really? It’s supposed to be an educational tool!