It’s buzzing at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York City. The crowd is packed, phones in hand, waiting to hear how one of the world’s most recognizable brands is rewriting the rules of learning. When Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn steps on stage, the energy shifts. He’s casual, sharp, and clearly on a mission.

“We wanted to do something that would give access to education to everyone,” he begins. It’s the kind of statement that sounds lofty until you realize how personal it is. Von Ahn, who grew up in Guatemala, knows firsthand the power of English. “In most countries in the world, if you know English, you can make more money. It’s very direct.” That urgency to break down barriers still drives every decision at Duolingo.

The numbers are staggering: 48 million daily active users, 130 million monthly, and climbing. But von Ahn insists this isn’t about scale for its own sake. It’s about education that is accessible, engaging, and free.

AI, he says, is the accelerant. “With AI, we can make four or five times as much content in the same amount of time.” He grins, recalling how a tiny team built a chess course after the Guatemalan Minister of Education wished every student could learn chess. The twist? The programmers themselves didn’t know how to play. Computers taught them, and they taught the world.

Then he shares what every language learner secretly feels. “About 90% of the world’s population just does not want to speak with another person in a language they’re not comfortable with.” Duolingo’s answer: animated AI characters that let users practice without fear of embarrassment. Clever. Human. Empathetic. Exactly the kind of innovation this festival celebrates.

And what about AI taking jobs? Von Ahn doesn’t flinch. “We have never done a layoff. We have not laid off a single full-time employee.” Instead, Duolingo holds AI experimentation days, inviting employees to test ideas and build tools of their own. It’s not about replacement. It’s about empowerment.

Of course, no Duolingo story is complete without the owl. Von Ahn laughs when asked about its rise to internet fame. “We didn’t want a mascot,” he admits. Yet here we are, watching the green owl hijack TikTok trends and become a cultural icon almost by accident.

But what truly grounds Duolingo is its commitment to free access. More than 90% of users never pay a cent, yet the company has built a projected billion-dollar business on that very fact. “We want it to be the case that we reach everyone to learn important stuff. And I think if that’s your mission, most of your users are probably going to be free.”

The applause says it all. In a room full of innovators, what resonates isn’t the revenue, but the clarity of purpose.

Here’s what I’m taking away, notebook in hand:

  • Innovation thrives at the intersection of empathy and technology.Duolingo didn’t just add AI, it solved for the fear of embarrassment with characters that make practice safe.
  • Experimentation is the antidote to obsolescence. AI isn’t a threat when employees are empowered to build with it. Fear turns into fuel.
  • Your brand is the story the world tells about you. The owl wasn’t planned, but Duolingo leaned into it. Innovation is as much about listening as it is about inventing.

Walking out of the Main Stage, the message lingers: true innovation isn’t the shiny new feature. It’s the system of trust, play, and possibility that lets ideas flourish.