Masters of Scale A masterclass in crowdsourcing, w/Duolingo's Luis von Ahn
19 snips
Oct 19, 2021 
Luis von Ahn, the founder and CEO of Duolingo, shares insights on harnessing crowdsourcing to fuel growth for his language-learning app with over 300 million users. He discusses how passionate users contribute to content creation, transforming Duolingo into a dynamic platform. Luis examines the balance of gamification in education and emphasizes the importance of aligning community motivation with business goals. He also highlights innovative employee appreciation strategies that enhance workplace culture, showcasing the synergy between employee satisfaction and customer experience.
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Free Gym Idea
- At 12, Luis von Ahn wanted to create a free gym powered by user-generated electricity.
- This idea, though innovative, was flawed due to the inefficient energy output of humans and gym business models.
Crowdsourcing Alignment
- Crowdsourcing requires aligning your mission with the crowd's motivation.
- If the incentives aren't shared, the project may fail, like Luis von Ahn's gym idea.
TOEFL Troubles
- Luis von Ahn had to fly to El Salvador to take the TOEFL exam because Guatemala ran out of seats.
- This experience inspired him to create a better way to assess English proficiency.
