Luis von Ahn he may have retreated to the beach sometime years ago. Best known as the CEO of the education app Duolingo, von Ahn in the early 2000s invented captcha, irritating online tests that force people to prove they are not robots. However, after selling his creation to Google in 2009, von Ahn wasted no time in launching his next venture: a company that was based on his experiences growing up in Guatemala and is now one of the most crucial educational platforms in the world.
Von Ahn’s mother, a doctor, spent all of her extra income to send him to private school, giving von Ahn learning opportunities that most local children had never seen. This in turn shaped his view of education in a stark way. Not as the great equalizer of society, but as a force that often reinforces inequality unless someone intervenes. This, as he told me this week on Massive Interview, is the reason he founded Duolingo over a decade ago, with the goal of making high-quality education free and widely available. Today the company reaches over 130 million users worldwidefrom immigrants learning fresh languages to celebrities like George Clooney.
Inequality may have inspired von Ahn, but his company is now at the center of a different conversation: Artificial intelligence. As artificial intelligence rapidly changes how people learn, how companies operate, and how employees consider their value, I’ve been wondering how it affects Duolingo’s inner workings, expansion plans, and potentially its long-term sustainability. If AI can translate almost anything in any medium and easily simulate conversation, generate lesson plans, and personalize instruction… does the world still need Duolingo?
Von Ahn’s view is unequivocal: Not only is Duolingo already benefiting from generative AI, he says, but people will continue to enjoy the opportunity to learn fresh things thanks to its motivational, gamified approach. In our conversation, he talks about building a mission-driven company within the constraints of Wall Street, why he doesn’t mind the company’s stock price declines, and why Duolingo can deliver learning for users in a way that artificial intelligence cannot.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
KATIE DRUMMOND: Luis von Ahn, welcome to The Massive Interview.
LUIS VON AHN: Thank you for having me.
We always start these conversations with a few quick questions, like a warm-up for your brain. Are you ready?
Radiant.
What language would you love to learn but haven’t mastered it yet?
Swedish. I’m learning this, but I need to get better at it. My wife is Swedish.
That’s a good reason. You better get on with it.
I’m on it.
What task do you think artificial intelligence should never perform?
A lot of work. I think in everything that needs inspiration for people, e.g. teachers. People need to be inspired. It’s difficult to get inspired by artificial intelligence.
I agree. I think AI has a bit of a problem with inspiration. You were 28 when you received a MacArthur “genius” fellowship. What did you do with the money?
I put it in the bank. I was very joyful to receive it. I’m very proud. But yeah, I basically put it in the bank. Ultimately, I probably ended up setting up Duolingo.
Which language has the most absurd grammar rules?
Finnish and Hungarian are quite complex to learn and have strange rules. But overall, I don’t know if it’s about being humorous. In general, languages that are far from your native language just seem humorous and strange.