Duolingo

Pennsylvania
Software and Services

Corprate Bias Ratings

Risk Level:

Rating - Caution
Medium Risk

Duolingo has not terminated business relationships due to views or beliefs. However, it does not provide protections against viewpoint discrimination. Duolingo provides a benefits package for employees which covers travel/lodging costs for an abortion. Its CEO has threatened to pull its business out of its home state should it ban abortion and has spoken out against former President Trump's immigration policy. For these reasons, Duolingo receives a Medium Risk rating.

Criteria
Risk Level
Rationale
Corporate Weaponization
Criteria

Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level
Rationale

Duolingo has not publicly fired customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs. 

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level
N/A
Rationale

Duolingo does not publish charitable giving guidelines. 

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.

Risk Level
Rationale

Duolingo does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (1).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

After Roe v. Wade was overturned, Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn pledged that the Pittsburgh-based company would move its headquarters if Pennsylvania’s state government were to ban abortion (1). Duolingo has also stated that it will limit the expansion of its offices to states that protect abortion access (2). In 2020, von Ahn spoke out against then-President Trump’s immigration policy and threatened to move the company’s hiring to Canada in response (3). Duolingo had also used its social media to engage in negative exchanges with Chick-fil-A over the fast food company’s founder’s opinions regarding marriage (4). Duolingo has engaged in Pride-related online advocacy (5).

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Duolingo provides a benefits package for employees which covers travel/lodging costs for an abortion (1)(2)(3). The company’s CEO made a twitter post stating, “I love that @duolingo is headquartered in Pittsburgh and that y’all use it as an example that successful tech companies can start here. If PA makes abortion illegal, we won’t be able to attract talent and we’ll have to grow our offices elsewhere.” (4).

Criteria

Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level
N/A
Rationale

Duolingo does not operate a PAC at this time.

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
February 14, 2024

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