Luis von Ahn

Published an "AI-first" internal memo in April 2025 announcing Duolingo would "gradually stop using contractors to do work AI can handle" and only hire if teams couldn't automate more work. Sparked backlash, with von Ahn clarifying: "We've never laid off any full-time employees. We don't plan to." By September 2025, no full-time layoffs had occurred and employees were producing 4-5x more content.

Published an all-company memo in April 2025 announcing Duolingo would become "AI first," phasing out contractors for any tasks AI could perform and requiring teams to prove work cannot be automated before hiring. The announcement triggered massive public backlash. Von Ahn told the Financial Times he "did not expect the amount of blowback" and clarified no full-time employees had been laid off at the time of the announcement.

A Guatemalan immigrant himself, von Ahn publicly criticized restrictive immigration policies in the U.S. and UK. Told the Evening Standard: "It just makes no sense to close your doors to some of the brightest people in the world. Countries like the US and the UK talk a lot about competing with China — the only way you can do that is by attracting the best from the whole world." Called the tone of immigration political debate "problematic."