Serial innovator and tech genius Luis von Ahn (who sold two companies to Google in his twenties, is a MacArthur fellow and a Carnegie Mellon professor) created the world’s most successful language learning platform, Duolingo. With over 120 million users and multiple awards, Duolingo uses gamification to keep its users engaged and the platform constantly improves its teaching methods based on users’ struggles and achievements.
Born in Guatemala, von Ahn witnessed first hand the barriers faced by poor communities looking to escape poverty. Second languages can drastically improve the chances of employment, but courses are typically expensive. His platform Duolingo is completely free to use.
Here's what he had to say about the launch of the first African language course on Duolingo.
