How I Built A $6.5 Billion App Called Duolingo | Founder Effect

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Published 2022-02-26
By the time Luis von Ahn turned 24, he was already a millionaire several times over.

The 43-year-old may not be a household name, but I'm willing to bet you’re one of the hundreds of million people who use his technology everyday.

Luis isn’t your average Unicorn tech founder. He actually pays his drivers to give feedback on their interactions with potential executive level hires on their way to the office from the airport to weed out toxic personalities.

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How I Built A $6.5 Billion App Called Duolingo | Founder Effect

All Comments (21)
  • @jomoeiviem7619
    CAPTCHA? Didn't expect that lol what an insanely talented guy
  • @TheDyingPlant
    This man had multiple 'once in a lifetime' ideas and was talented enough to make them a reality. I'm in awe.
  • The fact that he made all this things and he isn't as known as many CEOs.... Props to him
  • @donle499
    His taxi driver interview is genius. People who don't know how to treat the little people don't deserve a high paying job!
  • Well, I feel investors should be focusing on under-the-radar stocks, and considering the current rollercoaster nature of the stock market, Because 35% of my $270k portfolio comprises plummeting stocks that were once revered and I don't know where to go here out of devastation.
  • @AaronandAsh
    I’m Guatemalan and I work at Google as a software engineer! When my uncles and aunts found I was into code they sent me an interview of Luis. He made me think it’s possible to strive for more!
  • @DiamondFlame45
    He has such an employee centric approach to running a company that is hard to find in this current corporate culture. Kudos to him.
  • @ZzRaideMzZ
    A CEO that doesn't brag about his share price, yet constantly improves his business is a trait of a GREAT CEO
  • @31dktran
    I love the airport driver interview piece. Reminds me of how people treat servers at restaurants.
  • @Dhi_Bee
    The BEST mistake I ever made was accidentally subscribing for a year to Duolingo. And when it expired I subscribed once again. I’ve now been using it for almost 2 years without missing a day. And I’m actively studying 3 main languages, while being on the top 20 user XP for 15 weeks on the diamond league. Edit: I know it can be free, but I’d rather pay for the small perks & now knowing it’s a great company & workplace, I feel better too
  • @i123456987654
    I didn’t know Duolingo went public...wow, billion dollar company...I’m not surprised...an app that provides free education? There will always be a demand for this
  • @chadflpo635
    Where has this guy been hiding, lol, super talented.
  • @mateodluna7580
    Never heard of him yet he has made so much stuff that people use every day, such an amazing guy.
  • @dralfred2400
    What a talented young man, your story is just like mine. Most times, it amazes me greatly how I moved from an average lifestyle to earning over $63k per month. Utter shock is the word. I have understood a lot in the past few years to doubt that opportunities are bound in the financial markets. The only thing is to know where to focus.
  • @SoKelly
    Not gonna lie, I really like Duolingo. I forgot to cancel my free trial before I got charged for the year subscription so I’ve been making sure I keep my streak going and I’m not even mad about it. haha
  • Thank you so much for creating it. I became fluent in Spanish in 6 months with this app. Now learning French, this app is magical!
  • @lisaheron8244
    Thank you for creating this app! It has been fabulous learning another language and doing on my own time!! Have been doing now for 8 months and still going strong!!
  • @sahbre3403
    Really well articulated and humble sounding dude, enjoyed watching the interview.
  • @detailsmove
    he's the most underrated genius of our time