bad for your mental health - Anonymous employee Duolingo Employee Review

3.0
Dec 9, 2024
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

love the mission and the products.

Cons

I enjoyed working with most of the people, but the culture often felt cliquish. Many tenured managers and directors seemed to hold their positions more due to longevity than capability, leading to questionable decision-making. There was a noticeable imbalance in accountability—while you were expected to answer to them, they often didn’t reciprocate the same respect or responsibility. Respect and inclusion often felt contingent on personal favoritism rather than professionalism, creating an atmosphere that at times resembled an old high school clique. This environment can take a toll on one’s mental health, especially if you find yourself on the bad side of or disliked by a clique member, as it can lead to feelings of isolation or unfair treatment.

Explore other reviews about Duolingo

5.0
May 21, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Mission, smart and kind people, great work, hard working teams focused on results and delivering against an awesome mission. People push themselves and each other to learn and grow. Swarms of smart and creative problem solvers.

Cons

Small number of people are unhappy and instead of leaving they complain. A lot. I think it's like this everywhere but in a smaller company you feel it.

2.0
Jun 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good culture, great product, strong sense of ownership at all levels

Cons

Senior leadership has not found their rhythm. CEO calls pretty much all the shots. Engineering leadership is often invisible and lacks a cohesive tech strategy. Tech debt runs incredibly hot at this company and it often takes a major outage (did I mention CEO frequently joins the war rooms?) to get anything prioritized.

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