Full-Time
Senior Engineering Manager
Monetization
Duolingo
1,001-5,000 employees
Language learning app with gamified lessons
Compensation Overview
$204k - $306k/yr
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
In Person
 Engineering Management (1) |
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- Experience leading, managing, and building a team of software engineers, with demonstrated ability to hire, develop, and retain talent.
- Direct experience working on engineering teams that build and operate monetization systems.
- A track record of owning multi-engineer, multi-week technical projects to successful outcomes in a highly experimental, data-driven environment.
- Strong product instincts and excellent written/verbal communication, with experience aligning diverse stakeholders across engineering, product, design, and analytics.
- Experience working closely with data, experimentation, or machine learning teams to inform prioritization and ship measurable impact (direct ML expertise not required).
- Demonstrated ability to raise the bar on engineering practices for reliability, scalability, and observability.
- Technical depth sufficient to guide architecture and implementation trade-offs, evolve quality standards, and mentor engineers on best practices.
- Co-lead a cross-functional pod with Product and Design to define strategy, success metrics, and an execution roadmap for one of Duolingo’s Monetization teams.
- Partner with design and product to ship experiences that feel native to Duolingo: delightful, well-paced, and respectful of the learner without compromising monetization performance.
- Collaborate with data science and ML partners to design experiments, apply personalization and targeting, and translate insights into product improvements and bookings growth.
- Own planning and execution for projects that directly impact revenue; identify the right team-level metrics to optimize and protect delivery through clear milestones and risk management.
- Bring both technical and product perspectives to new ideas, enabling rapid hypothesis testing without sacrificing reliability, observability, or long-term maintainability.
- Set and uphold engineering quality standards and practices that improve reliability, scalability, and operability.
- Deep experience with ad mediation, waterfall, and bidding systems (AdMob, GAM, Open Bidding, or equivalent), including onboarding and optimizing demand partners.
- A strong track record of designing or shipping in-product ad formats and surfaces in mobile apps, with attention to UX quality and format performance.
- Experience improving ad quality and monetization through experimentation, targeting, or programmatic levers, in partnership with business teams.
- Background collaborating with sales/biz ops on direct or programmatic campaigns and translating market feedback into product improvements.
- Experience leading teams that span multiple platforms (iOS, Android, backend) and partnering on ML-powered personalization within consumer apps.
Duolingo creates an online language learning platform that offers bite-sized, gamified lessons. It uses a freemium model: core features are free with in-app advertisements, while a premium subscription unlocks an ad-free experience and additional features. The app works by presenting short lessons that reinforce language skills through interactive exercises and rewards, designed to keep users engaged and learning daily. Compared with competitors, Duolingo leverages a very large global user base and a well-known brand, highlighted by being the most downloaded education app in App Store history and a leading education app by revenue in 2019, along with a visible emphasis on workplace culture. Its overarching goal is to make high-quality education universally accessible to people around the world.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Founded
2011
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Q2 2026 revenue hit $298.5 million, up 18%, with adjusted EBITDA margin raised.
- Back Market and Luckin partnerships extend Duolingo into Gen Z commerce channels.
- Management targets 100 million DAUs by 2028, keeping growth optionality enormous.
What critics are saying
- Duolingo’s AI contractor cuts in April 2025 triggered brand backlash and churn threats.
- Random-stranger social feeds in August 2026 anger users and weaken core product trust.
- Speak, Babbel, and ChatGPT-style tutors attack Duolingo’s weakest area: live conversation.
What makes Duolingo unique
- Duolingo’s 58.7 million DAUs and streak engine create unmatched habit formation.
- Its freemium model converts scale into 12.7 million paid subscribers.
- AI-first product iteration lets Duolingo ship faster than legacy language-learning rivals.
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Benefits
Medical, dental, and vision for employees as well as eligible partners and dependents
Mental health benefits such as therapy sessions and coaching to support you to be your best self
Fertility benefits to support your family planning journey
Fully paid parental and adoption leave
Fully paid subscription to Care.com and paid backup days for dependents and your fur family
401(k) with generous match and immediate vesting
20 days of PTO, with two additional weeks off for winter break
Yearly professional development stipend
Transportation reimbursement for however you get to work
Lunch prepared daily by our in-house chefs
Annual international retreat for all full-time employees
On-site gym and massages
On-site game/break room
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 1%1 year growth
↓ -1%2 year growth
↓ -3%Duolingo's stock has dropped 62% in a year, despite generating free cash flow equal to 6.4% of its market value annually — well above the 4.1% median for S&P 500 companies. The language-learning app's operating margin reached 14.2% over the last twelve months, up from a 3-year average of 8.3%, with daily active users growing 23% year-over-year. However, management is deliberately capping financial growth, guiding to just 11% full-year bookings growth and 9% for Q3. The company is prioritising user growth over near-term monetisation, targeting 100 million daily active users by 2028. Adding to investor uncertainty, management is considering discontinuing its highest-priced subscription tier, Max, raising questions about when the value of its growing user base will be fully realised.
Duolingo DUOL stock drops 10% but support holds, as weak guidance overshadows strong user growth after reporting Q2 financial results. - Last updated: Thursday, August 6, 2026 Quick overview. * Duolingo reported strong Q2 results with an 18% year-over-year revenue increase, reaching $298.5 million. * Despite impressive user growth, Duolingo's stock fell around 10% due to weaker-than-expected Q3 revenue guidance. * The company is prioritizing user expansion over short-term monetization, aiming for 100 million daily active users in the long run. * Investors remain skeptical about Duolingo's ability to convert user growth into accelerated revenue, leading to ongoing stock pressure. Duolingo delivered another strong quarter of user growth and earnings, but investors focused on weaker-than-expected guidance, sending DUOL shares sharply lower as concerns over near-term monetization returned. Strong Q2 results fail to calm market concerns. Duolingo reported second-quarter revenue of $298.5 million, representing an 18% year-over-year increase and beating analyst expectations of approximately $295.6 million. Adjusted earnings per share also exceeded forecasts, coming in at $0.66 compared with estimates of $0.58. The company's user growth remained a major strength, with daily active users (DAUs) rising 23% year-over-year to 58.7 million. A one-time Streak Revival campaign helped bring back 15.4 million learners, boosting engagement levels during the quarter. However, investors looked beyond the positive headline numbers and focused on the company's forward outlook. Duolingo stock falls as guidance disappoints investors. Duolingo shares suffered a sharp selloff on Thursday, falling around 10% to close near $122 after the language-learning platform issued a weaker-than-expected third-quarter revenue outlook. The decline came despite better-than-forecast second-quarter results and impressive user growth, highlighting how demanding investors have become toward high-growth technology companies. The market focused less on past performance and more on whether Duolingo can accelerate revenue growth in the coming quarters. DUOL stock briefly dropped toward $112, where the 100-day simple moving average (SMA) provided technical support after the stock had already broken below its 50-day SMA. Q3 revenue forecast falls short of expectations. The main reason behind the selloff was Duolingo's third-quarter revenue guidance. The company expects Q3 revenue of approximately $302 million, slightly below Wall Street expectations of $304 million. Although the difference was small, it was enough to trigger selling pressure in a market that has been rewarding only companies delivering exceptional growth and stronger-than-expected forecasts. Duolingo also maintained its full-year revenue guidance of $1.207 billion, which was slightly below the analyst consensus of $1.208 billion. Growth strategy prioritizes users over short-term revenue. Management explained that the company is intentionally focusing on expanding its user base rather than aggressively increasing monetization in the short term. Duolingo's long-term goal is reaching 100 million daily active users, with executives believing a larger and more engaged audience will create stronger revenue opportunities in the future. The company is also using open-source AI models to improve efficiency, lower costs, and support stronger margins, with gross margin reaching 72.6%. Investors remain unconvinced despite long-term potential. While Duolingo continues to demonstrate strong engagement and financial discipline, Thursday's stock reaction shows that investors are becoming less patient with growth companies facing elevated expectations. The company's strategy may support long-term expansion, but the immediate challenge remains convincing Wall Street that user growth can translate into faster revenue acceleration. For now, DUOL shares remain under pressure as traders watch whether the 100-day SMA can hold as support or whether further downside develops after the disappointing guidance. 10 best Forex brokers. | / | MIN DEPOSIT $100 | Visit Now | | / | MIN DEPOSIT $0 | Visit Now | | / | MIN DEPOSIT $100 | Visit Now | | / | MIN DEPOSIT $250 | Visit Now | | / | MIN DEPOSIT $0 | Visit Now | | / | MIN DEPOSIT $2,000 | Visit Now | | / | MIN DEPOSIT $0 | Visit Now | Skerdian Meta Lead Analyst Skerdian Meta Lead Analyst. Skerdian is a professional Forex trader and a market analyst. He has been actively engaged in market analysis for the past 11 years. Before becoming its head analyst, Skerdian served as a trader and market analyst in Saxo Bank's local branch, Aksioner. Skerdian specialized in experimenting with developing models and hands-on trading. Skerdian has a masters degree in finance and investment.
Duolingo reported Q2 2026 revenue of $298.45 million, up 18.3% year-over-year, beating the consensus estimate of $297.35 million by 0.37%. EPS came in at $0.66, surpassing the $0.61 estimate by 8.2%, though down from $0.91 in the prior-year quarter. Key metrics exceeded analyst expectations across the board. Daily active users reached 58.7 million versus the 58.03 million estimate, whilst monthly active users hit 140.6 million against a forecast of 139.37 million. Paid subscribers totalled 12.7 million, above the 12.59 million estimate. Subscription revenue climbed 22.5% to $258.04 million, beating projections. However, in-app purchases fell 23% year-over-year to $8 million, missing estimates. Shares gained 4.4% over the past month.
Duolingo crash below $120 on weak sales outlook. - Last updated: Wednesday, August 5, 2026 Quick overview. * Duolingo's stock fell 12% after a conservative Q3 revenue forecast of $302M, slightly below expectations. * Despite the forecast, Q2 revenue rose 18% year-over-year to $298.5M, and Daily Active Users surged 23% to 58.7M. * CEO Luis von Ahn anticipates DAU growth will remain above 20% for the rest of the year, aiming for 100M DAUs by 2028. * To compete with AI rivals, Duolingo is testing longer free trials to increase conversions to paid subscriptions. Duolingo shares plunged 12% on Wednesday after a soft third-quarter revenue forecast ($302M vs. $304M expected) overshadowed strong user engagement. Despite the weak outlook, Q2 revenue beat estimates at $298.5M (up 18% year-over-year), and Daily Active Users (DAUs) surged 23% to 58.7M - beating projections thanks to product updates, marketing tweaks, and a streak-revival promotion. CEO Luis von Ahn raised the rest-of-year DAU growth forecast above 20%, maintaining the company's long-term goal of reaching 100M DAUs by 2028. To counter AI-driven competition without frustrating free users, Duolingo is testing longer free trials to boost "Super Duolingo" paid subscriptions. Before the report, the stock was already down 23% for the year. Duolingo stock dropped up to 12% Wednesday due to a conservative Q3 revenue forecast ($302M vs. $304M expected), adding to a 23% year-to-date decline. Revenue rose 18% year-over-year to $298.5M, outperforming Wall Street expectations ($295.6M). Strong User Engagement: DAUs grew 23% to 58.7M (exceeding the 57.4M estimate), driven by product improvements and a popular streak-restoration feature. Growth Strategy & Outlook: CEO Luis von Ahn expects DAU growth to stay above 20% for the rest of the year, targeting 100M DAUs by 2028. Monetization vs. AI Competition: To stave off AI rivals, Duolingo is expanding free trials to convert unpaid users into "Super Duolingo" subscribers without disrupting the user experience. 10 best forex brokers. | / | MIN DEPOSIT $100 | Visit Now | | / | MIN DEPOSIT $0 | Visit Now | | / | MIN DEPOSIT $100 | Visit Now | | / | MIN DEPOSIT $250 | Visit Now | | / | MIN DEPOSIT $0 | Visit Now | | / | MIN DEPOSIT $2,000 | Visit Now | | / | MIN DEPOSIT $0 | Visit Now | Olumide Adesina Financial Market Writer Olumide Adesina is a French-born Nigerian financial writer. He tracks the financial markets with over 20 years of working experience in investment trading
Duolingo users are fed up with random strangers cluttering their feeds. Unwanted activity updates are burying friend milestones, driving learners to manually block unknown accounts daily. Aug 5, 2026 - 11:11 AM ET Megan Ellis / Android Authority * Duolingo is facing user backlash for mixing updates from random strangers into users' personal activity feeds, burying achievements from actual friends. * Frustrated learners are blocking profiles and reporting accounts as spam to clean up their activity tabs. * Users are demanding basic feed filters and follow approvals to regain control over their social experience. Duolingo hasn't particularly been shy about making controversial platform tweaks, but its social feed design is driving learners up the wall. Following widespread frustration over disruptive course updates that scrambled progress paths and introduced unfamiliar vocabulary, users are now facing another persistent headache: random strangers taking over their activity feed. Instead of highlighting milestones from actual friends and family, Duolingo continues to mix in social updates from complete strangers, diluting the feature's core purpose. Reddit user EnoughConcentrate897 voiced their exasperation over their feed being filled with 100-day streaks and sentence shares from accounts they don't know or follow, and so many other users chimed in with the same frustration. Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority This is my Duolingo Feed, and I know none of the people or names in this screenshot For many, the clutter defeats the point of having a friend list in the first place. Several long-time users noted that they have completely stopped using the feed to celebrate their real-life friends' achievements because those updates get buried under a mountain of unsolicited community activity. In response, frustrated learners have begun taking matters into their own hands. Some are manually blocking dozens of random profiles daily, while others have resorted to marking unknown accounts as spam simply to keep their feeds clean. Reddit user SnarkyBeanBroth is urging Duolingo to implement basic social controls, such as feed filters ("Friends Only" vs. "Community"), while Reddit user Poolkonijntje wants a traditional follow-request approval system that would give users control over who appears in their updates. Duolingo has increasingly prioritized gamification and social connectivity to keep users hooked, but users are clearly not happy with this change to their feed. Whether the company will address these feed customization requests or continue pushing algorithmic discovery remains to be seen. For now, the green owl's social experiment is testing learner patience once again.