Duolingo, Inc.

Duolingo, Inc.'s logo circa 2013

Logo for Duolingo (2019~present)

Duolingo, Inc. is a company that offers online language, music and math courses, and English language certification. It has offices in the United States (including their main office in Pittsburgh), China, Germany and in other countries, and hires over 700 people across the globe.

Business Model

Duolingo originally started by selling crowd-sourced translations, and later around 14 October 2013 entered into agreements to translate articles for companies such as CNN and BuzzFeed. Eventually they decided to move away from this model, and launched a new application called Duolingo Test Center, a multi-platform application offers certification.

History and Leadership

The company was launched in Pittsburgh by Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker. Both were immigrants to the United States.

Current Management

As of June 2024, Duolingo is managed by the following people:

• CEO and Board Chairman: Luis von Ahn
• Chief Technical Officer and Board Director: Severin Hacker
• Chief Business Officer: Robert Meese
• Chief People Officer: Molly Lindsay
• Chief Financial Officer: Matthew Skaruppa
• Chief Engineering Officer: Natalie Glance
• Chief Marketing Officer: Manu Orssaud
• General Counsel: Stephen Chen

Funding

Duolingo has been sponsored by several institutions. The funding came from a National Science Foundation grant, Union Square Ventures, Ashton Kutcher's firm A-Grade Investments, and Google.

Social Media

Duolingo is active on four social media sites: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter). The head of Duolingo's social media presence is Zaria Parvez.