Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn Is Trading Premium Revenue for Scale

Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn speaks with reporters at the Sun Valley Lodge in Idaho." width="970" height="648" data-caption='Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn, pictured at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in July 2023, is expanding access to A.I. conversation practice as he phases out the app’s Max subscription tier. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images'> Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn approved killing off the owl in February 2025. Duo, the language-learning app’s green mascot, met his fictional end under a Cybertruck, drawing condolences from avid reader, polyglot pop star and renowned globetrotter, Dua Lipa. Users were then asked to complete lessons to bring him back. He was, thankfully, resurrected, but now von Ahn is giving another character a bigger role in the business: Lily, a purple-haired goth teen with an exaggerated eye roll. She’s the animated conversation partner in Video Call, Duolingo’s A.I.-powered speaking-practice feature, and he wants more subscribers talking to her.

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