Duolingo has reversed its decision to include artificial intelligence usage as a metric in employee performance reviews, its CEO Luis von Ahn has confirmed. The policy change, announced on a recent podcast, follows internal feedback that the mandate felt like an arbitrary requirement rather than a tool for genuine improvement.
The language-learning app's chief executive stated the company "backtracked" on the strategy after employees challenged its purpose. The initial plan was part of an "AI-first" company memo issued in April 2025.
Employee Pushback Leads to Policy Reversal
Speaking on the "Silicon Valley Girl" podcast on 10 April, von Ahn said the company introduced the evaluation strategy but faced immediate questions from its workforce. "Employees began asking, 'Do you just want us to use AI for AI's sake?'" he recounted.
"At the end, we backtracked, and we said no. The most important thing in your performance is that you are doing whatever your job is as well as possible. A lot of times, AI can help you with that, but if it can't, I'm not going to force you to do that," von Ahn explained. He added that the policy "felt like, rather than being held accountable for the actual outcome, we were trying to just push something that in some cases did not fit."
The Original "AI-First" Strategy
The now-reversed policy was outlined in an internal memo in April 2025, which detailed Duolingo's broader "AI-first" approach. Alongside tracking AI use in reviews, the strategy included other "constructive constraints," such as prioritising AI proficiency in hiring and gradually phasing out contractors for "work that AI can handle."
The memo initially sparked a significant online backlash, prompting von Ahn to clarify on LinkedIn that the company was "still hiring at the same speed" and that he did not see AI replacing Duolingo employees' core work.
Broader Corporate Trend on AI Adoption
Duolingo's walk-back comes as other major technology firms move in the opposite direction, implementing policies to actively encourage and monitor AI use. Meta has set specific usage goals for some employees, Business Insider reported exclusively in March.
Similarly, at Google, non-technical staff have been told they are expected to use AI in their workflows, with compliance in some cases being factored into performance reviews, according to sources.
Duolingo did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider made outside of US working hours.