- Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn only engages people with five qualities: Those who “take the long view”, show and say it, and bring pleasure to the office. The “personality hires” of the Z generation bringing good vibrations to work have a line that has checked the executive hiring control list.
Not all Zz wiz is with advanced skills – many are ready to be the business “chief of vibrationsAnd bring the pleasure back to the office. Their personalities could be perfectly adapted to a CEO, which defines the qualities that each new hiring must have to work on its $ 16.7 billion business.
“We are looking for people who have fun working,” explains Luis von Ahn, CEO of Duolingo Fortune. “It really matters [because] We want our products and our corporate culture to be fun. »»
The learning applications giant has just nailed five characteristics he is looking for when selecting new employees – and it is not only a pleasant guidance to have. Von Ahn says that these are critical principles that he put in stone a month ago when renovating the business manual. It is essential to write a clear meaning of orientation in terms of hiring and culture, in particular after the success of Duolingo in Knockout 2024, with Global growing income 29% in annual shift and subscription income soar 48% in annual shift.
“I am very proud of our culture,” explains Von Ahn. “But as companies are evolving, culture is diluted, because you just hire many more people. It is difficult to make sure everyone is on the same wavelength.”
“The most important thing was to try to codify our culture as much as possible. The way we codify it is by reducing five principles. They are not ambitious – that's what really happens. ”
Workers without these 5 key qualities do not need to apply
If you move slowly and think about the growing work, Von Ahn will probably not hit your door with an opportunity. But he prefers that potential hires decide for themselves if they are a good culture before throwing their hat in the ring.
“I hope that [these requisites] will do self-selection for people who apply here, “adds Von Ahn.” There are people who probably don't like these principles, and I am very happy for them not to apply here. »»
Bringing positive vibrations to the office is only one of its five non-negotiable; The CEO sets out four other qualities that each candidate must have to enter the darling doors of Duolingo.
“We are trying to look for people who satisfy all these elements,” he says.
- Do not make quick hacks to make money. Von Ahn says that Duolingo wants to be a long -term business – so he is looking for people who “also take the long -term vision”.
- Show, don't say it. This is essential to the Duolingo communication style; Von Ahn does not want employees “spending a lot of time talking about the effort of what they have done” and showing the results. The proof is still in pudding.
- Raise the bar. The CEO is looking for staff members who always aim for excellence – each year, they improve crafts and develop in new learning arenas.
- Ship it. Duolingo enhances workers who “act urgently” and try to put quality products in front of users as quickly as possible.
- Make it fun. Von Ahn wants corporate culture to be as fun as their products, he therefore seeks employees who bring the same joy and energy to work.
The “unofficial rule” of the company in hiring: no asshole
In addition to the candidates' control list, Duolingo also marries an unwritten directive in hiring to maintain healthy and happy corporate culture.
The world of technology is full of characters – and like most offices, you are sure to run in noisy mouths, gossip, hooks and intimidators. Von Ahn has a Spidey sense for characters that are not recommendable for hiring, and is happy to keep a position without being lost until it finds the right choice.
“We have an official rule: when you hire, it is because you have a hole in the organization you try to fill,” he said. “Our unofficial rule: it is better to have a hole than a asshole.”
The managing director says that the company, with nearly 900 employees, has done a very good job to eliminate unlikely people. Part of this has to do with the company's hiring strategy – most junior employees are hired in Duolingo courses from the start of the university. He says managers can have a good sense of potential hires during the three -month program. But it is not only young employees who are subject to the test.
Von Ahn remembers an era when being rude has cost someone a job in Duolingo. The company was looking for a financial director for a year and a half without luck. A stellar candidate with an impressive CV was under study – until they were mean to a driver that Duolingo had hired to take them to the airport. The word of their behavior returned to the Managing Director, and the applicant was removed from the race.
Despite the vigilant eye of Von Ahn, some bad apples always manage to pass through the meshes of the net. But they will not last long in Duolingo.
“It is really difficult not to hire assholes,” explains Von Ahn. “Given the culture, if we have assholes here, they are closed. Because if you are openly an asshole, you will be fired fairly quickly.”
This story was initially presented on Fortune.com
