We launched Duolingo with a premium model where users can learn for free but see ads, or pay to remove ads, which allows us to fund the platform while keeping it accessible.

We started with a freemium model, but realized it distracted us; we shifted to a paid model and consistently increased prices over time, which helped us focus on serious customers.

To translate our site into multiple languages without incurring high costs, we created a community-driven platform where users could volunteer to translate content, similar to a model used by Reddit.

We spent the first five or six years of Duolingo not monetizing, which I regret; we should have started monetizing after year three to be further ahead today.

The freemium business model allows users to self-serve and become champions for your product within their organizations, facilitating easier adoption.

In hindsight, we shouldn't have launched with a free service in the first place; we ended up becoming a truly premium model based on ticket prices. We won't monetize a free product, which allows us to undercut our competitors and led to thousands of free events being published on our platform.

Most of our users still use the free tier of Duolingo, which I'm very proud of because it reflects our commitment to inclusivity and purpose.

Our mission is to provide the best education and make it universally available, ensuring inclusivity without excluding anyone based on their financial status.

We always knew we could grow users first, which was our primary focus in the early days of Duolingo.