What do disease diagnostics, language learning, and image recognition have in common? All depend on the organization of collective intelligence: data ontologies. In this episode of the a16z Podcast, guests Luis von Ahn, founder of reCaptcha and Duolingo, Jay Komarneni, founder of HumanDX, a16z General Partner Vijay Pande, and a16z Partner Malinka Walaliyadde break down what data ontologies are, from the philosophical (Wittgenstein and Wikipedia!) to the practical (a doctor identifying a diagnosis), particularly as they apply to the field of healthcare and diagnosis. It is data ontologies, in fact, that enable not only human computation -- but that allow us to map out, structure, and scale knowledge creation online, providing order to how we organize massive amounts of information so that humans and machines can coordinate in a way that both understand.
Jackson Shuttleworth is a Group PM at Duolingo, where he leads the retention team and the powerful streak feature. The streak feature, which gamifies consecutive days of learning, has been Duolingo’s most important and innovative growth lever and a key driver of their growth to a $14 billion business with almost 600 million users. In our conversation, we dive deep into the history and lessons of this feature: • The evolution of the streak feature • Biggest insights from over 600 streak-related experiments • Biggest specific wins and misses along the way • Key principles for building effective streak mechanics • How to operate a high-velocity product team • Tips for building engaging notification systems • Much more — Brought to you by: • Pendo—The only all-in-one product experience platform for any type of application: https://www.pendo.io/lenny • Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security: https://vanta.com/lenny • Coda—The all-in-one collaborative workspace: https://coda.io/lenny Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/behind-the-product-duolingo-streaks Where to find Jackson Shuttleworth: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackson-shuttleworth/ In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Jackson’s background and an overview of Duolingo’s streak feature (06:00) The impact of streaks on Duolingo’s success (09:58) The origin and evolution of streaks (14:50) Key experiments and insights (24:38) User psychology and engagement strategies (28:36) Duolingo’s product review structure (33:07) Designing for clarity and adaptability (46:59) Developing the Streak Freeze feature (50:47) Balancing monetization and retention (54:08) Notification strategies (58:15) The Perfect Streak feature (01:00:40) Enhancing the user experience (01:04:47) Team operations and experimentation (01:18:57) Who can benefit from streaks (01:21:00) Lightning round Referenced: • Duolingo streaks: https://duolingo.fandom.com/wiki/Streak • How to make learning as addictive as social media: https://www.ted.com/talks/luis_von_ahn_how_to_make_learning_as_addictive_as_social_media?subtitle=en • Luis von Ahn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-von-ahn-duolingo/ • FarmVille: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FarmVille • Royal Match: https://www.dreamgames.com/games/royal-match • How Duolingo reignited user growth: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-duolingo-reignited-user-growth • You’re on fire! Or, how we brought the streak milestone to life: https://blog.duolingo.com/streak-milestone-design-animation/ • Duolingo Doubles Down on Design and Animation with Acquisition of Hobbes: https://investors.duolingo.com/news-releases/news-release-details/duolingo-doubles-down-design-and-animation-acquisition-hobbes • Hobbes: https://www.hobbes.work/ • Jira: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira • Atlassian: https://www.atlassian.com/ • Bing Gordon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/binggordon/ • Peloton: https://www.onepeloton.com/ • Bluey on Disney+: https://www.disneyplus.com/series/bluey/1xy9TAOQ0M3r • Emily in Paris on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81037371 • Multi-position ladders at Home Depot: https://www.homedepot.com/b/Building-Materials-Ladders-Multi-Position-Ladders/N-5yc1vZasew Recommended books: • A Guide to Midwestern Conversation: https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Midwestern-Conversation-Taylor-Phillips/dp/1984861336 • Fate Is the Hunter: A Pilot’s Memoir: https://www.amazon.com/Fate-Hunter-Ernest-K-Gann/dp/0671636030 Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
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In this View From The Top interview, Ayesha Karnik, MBA ’25, speaks with Luis Von Ahn, Co-Founder and CEO of Duolingo. Luis shares his journey from growing up in Guatemala during a civil war to becoming a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon and pioneering inventions like CAPTCHA - before ultimately building one of the most beloved education platforms in the world. He reflects on bold leadership, the future of AI in learning, and why play might just be the most powerful force in education. Along the way, he also shares the quirks, principles, and people behind Duolingo’s rise.
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