Duolingo CEO admits his controversial AI memo ‘did not give enough context’ and insists the company never laid off full-time employees

Success·Artificial IntelligenceDuolingo CEO admits his controversial AI memo ‘did not give enough context’ and insists the company never laid off full-time employeesBy Jessica CoacciBy Jessica CoacciSuccess FellowJessica CoacciSuccess FellowJessica Coacci is a reporting fellow at Fortune where she covers success

Prior to joining Fortune, she worked as a ducer at CNN and CNBC.SEE FULL BIO After receiving backlash from a staff memo posted on LinkedIn, Duolingo CEO is clarifying that full-time roles are safe Bloomberg / ContributorBillionaire Duolingo CEO Luis Von Ahn has a message for his employees: he doesn’t want to lay them off

Instead, its contractors will fluctuate based on the company’s needs, while its salaried staffers get more done thanks to AI

After Duolingo received backlash to its “AI-first” staff memo posted on LinkedIn this April—conjuring worries of mass layoffs— the company’s CEO Luis Von Ahn is setting the record straight

Now, the executive has doubled down that he doesn’t intend to “lay off humans.” “This was on me

I did not give enough context,” Von Ahn told The New York Times in a recent interview when asked the controversial memo. “We’ve never laid off any full-time employees

The strategy included a gradual reduction in contractors to “do work that AI can handle,” and increasing headcount only if “a team cannot automate more of their work.” Von Ahn insisted that the AI-first memo did not draw scrutiny from Duolingo staffers—but that onlookers were quick to take up arms online

The CEO also added that this change is nothing new: “From the beginning, we’ve had contractors that we use for temporary tasks, and our contractor force has gone up and down depending on needs.” Von Ahn added that said work will ly change in the next five years because of AI—but again that that doesn’t mean staff cuts at Duolingo. “What will bably happen is that one person will be able to accomplish more, rather than having fewer people,” he said

Now, Duolingo has even started encouraging staff to use AI weekly on Fridays—an activity he called “f-r-A-I-days.” During that time, Duolingo teams are allowed to “experiment on how to get more efficient in using AI,” Von Ahn added

AI displacement in the workplace Duolingo isn’t the only company trimming its outsourced and contractor roles as AI takes over routine work

And while Duolingo insists it won’t cut full-timers, not every company has taken that apach

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