‘I’m not going to force you’: Duolingo CEO backs off from evaluating employees on their AI usage 

Using artificial intelligence is becoming a prerequisite for many jobs, but some companies are rethinking its value when it comes to assessing employee performance. 

Nearly a year after announcing Duolingo would evaluate AI use in performance reviews, CEO Luis von Ahn said the company has let that metric go. 

On April 28, 2025, he announced that the edtech company would be “AI-first,” and employees would be assessed on their AI use. 

It has sparked a public backlash, and von Ahn told the Financial Times last year that he “did not expect the blowback” after longtime Duolingo users commented they were deleting the app.

In an interview on the Silcon Valley Girl podcast last week, he described the feedback from employees, saying some began to ask if Duolingo just wanted them to use AI for AI’s sake.

“At the end, we backtracked, and we said, ‘No. Look, the most important thing in your performance........

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