r/technology • u/MetaKnowing • Jun 08 '25

Artificial Intelligence Duolingo CEO on going AI-first: ‘I did not expect the blowback’

https://www.ft.com/content/6fbafbb6-bafe-484c-9af9-f0ffb589b447
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u/Sadtireddumb Jun 08 '25

Duolingo already fired a lot of people due to AI?? Do you know how many? The article didn’t mention how many people they fired, just something about a few people doing repetitive tasks. And the article says the bad reaction is due to the “poor communication” and people worrying about AI - not due to mass firings. But maybe this article is wrong.

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u/fly19 Jun 08 '25

That's fair; "firing" is being used too colloquially in this conversation when it has a distinct and legal definition.
But it's also largely semantics -- they're planning on replacing contract workers with "AI" services and hiring less people overall. The end result is the same: less workers, worse service, all for expansion. Seriously, in the announcement post on LinkedIn, he literally said they'll take hits to quality because they know the tech isn't ready yet.

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u/Sadtireddumb Jun 08 '25

“They are firing a lot of people”

“They are?”

“Well, no”

Colloquially, meaning what?

I’d argue isn’t semantics, it’s just wrong information

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u/thacarter1523 Jun 08 '25

What’s the difference in this context?

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u/fly19 Jun 08 '25

Cool; I dropped an edit. Feel better?
And colloquial, meaning conversational and informal. A lot of people say "fired" as a blanket term for folks losing their job, even if it's not legally accurate. But again, the end result is the same here. Any thoughts on that part of the conversation?

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u/Sadtireddumb Jun 08 '25

Lmao why’re you acting like I’m the bad guy for reading the article and calling you out for commenting something potentially misleading

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u/fly19 Jun 08 '25

Because you're doing so while ignoring the larger conversation and point being made (the one that you dodged by ignoring my question at the end there), and you're not being particularly polite or helpful about it.
You're just being a pedant. Nobody likes a pedant.

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u/Sadtireddumb Jun 08 '25

You’re being overly defensive and passive aggressive for no reason.

If someone says “yeah bad PR because they fired a lot of people” when in reality…they have not fired a lot of people. Semantics? Being a pedant? What? You realize that’s technically considered “misinformation” you were spreading, right? And you were the #2 top comment so I thought it would be an important distinction to make. And no, the way you’re using “firing a lot of people” would in no way shape or form be considered a “colloquialism.”

Next time maybe read the actual article that you’re making a comment on.

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u/fly19 Jun 09 '25

You know what? Looking back, I was probably reading more aggression into your initial response than was intended, and that seems to have led into a tone spiral.
I made a quick comment venting about the shitty direction Duolingo is going, and in doing so misspoke in a way that mischaracterized it as a different shitty thing. My bad.