Duolingo Chief Executive Officer Luis von Ahn has sought to clarify remarks that sparked criticism earlier this year, insisting that the company’s push to become an “AI-first company” was misinterpreted.

Speaking in an interview with The New York Times, von Ahn said the controversy arose largely from a lack of context. “Internally, this was not controversial,” he explained. “Externally, as a publicly traded company, some people assumed it was just for profit, or that we were trying to lay off humans. That was not the intent at all.”

The language-learning platform had faced backlash after the memo was made public, with concerns that artificial intelligence adoption could threaten jobs. Von Ahn stressed that Duolingo has “never laid off any full-time employees” and has no plans to do so. He acknowledged fluctuations in the company’s contractor workforce but maintained this had always depended on project needs.

Despite the criticism, Duolingo appears to have suffered little financial fallout, with von Ahn expressing strong confidence in the role AI will play in education. He revealed that staff dedicate every Friday morning to testing and experimenting with new AI tools. “It’s a bad acronym, f-r-A-I-days,” he joked. “I don’t know how to pronounce it.”

Von Ahn’s comments come amid broader debates about the use of artificial intelligence in consumer platforms and concerns over potential job displacement. While some industry observers remain skeptical, the Duolingo chief argued that AI integration is aimed at enhancing user experience rather than replacing human expertise.

With more than 500 million users globally, Duolingo has positioned itself at the forefront of educational technology. The company’s strategy suggests it sees AI not as a cost-cutting tool, but as a driver of innovation in language learning.