Welcome to an inside look at Duolingo! This episode dives into the heart of what makes Duolingo tick, drawing from key principles and practices outlined in the Duolingo handbook.Here's a taste of what's covered:

The Mission and Culture: Discover Duolingo's mission to provide the best education in the world and make it universally accessible, shaped by a unique culture born from experimentation and a passion for learning.

Core Principles: Explore the five key principles that guide Duolingo's decisions and operations. These principles aren't just aspirational but are lessons learned through experience.

Taking the Long View: Learn why Duolingo prioritizes long-term user retention over short-term gains, focusing on building a "forever product". This includes making strategic decisions about advertising, investing in teaching quality, and setting proficiency standards.

The Green Machine: Understand Duolingo's unique approach to building things, emphasizing staffing with great people, defining success, setting guardrails, building feedback loops, executing with urgency, and doubling down on what works

Making It Fun: Discover how Duolingo uses gamification, design, and a quirky brand to make learning enjoyable and engaging7.... The discussion also highlights the importance of characters like Duo in creating an emotional connection with learners.

Shipping It: Find out how Duolingo maintains a rapid pace of experimentation and improvement, shipping new versions of its apps weekly and running hundreds of experiments10. The episode also covers the concept of "clock speed" and the importance of ruthless prioritization.

Show, Don't Tell: Learn how Duolingo emphasizes data-driven decision-making and clear communication, prioritizing results over opinions. The episode also touches on the use of TL;DRs and prototypes.

Raising the Bar: Explore Duolingo's commitment to excellence in all areas, from product and design to hiring and culture18.... This includes maintaining high standards for quality, assigning ownership, and giving candid feedback

This episode is powered by Google’s NotebookLM, which helped us aggregate insights and structure this conversation. And if you’re curious to go deeper, check out The Duolingo Handbook directly — handbook.duolingo.com

Have you ever wondered what it takes to transition from consulting to product management—and find your dream role along the way?

In this episode, I sit down with Mridula Kidiyur, now a Product Manager at Walmart, to explore her inspiring career journey from India to New York, her eight years at a Big Four consulting firm, and how she discovered her passion for technology-driven impact. From navigating career pivots to finding her footing in product management, Mridula shares the challenges, lessons, and wins that shaped her path.

What You’ll Learn

👉 The art of career transitions: How Mridula identified her passion for product management and successfully pivoted from consulting.
👉 Stakeholder management: Tips on building strong cross-functional relationships and driving alignment across diverse teams.
👉 Decision-making lessons: Why chasing job titles isn’t enough and how to determine where your true passion lies.
👉 Insights on product vs. program management: The key differences and why owning outcomes matters in product roles.

Why Listen?

This conversation is packed with actionable insights for anyone navigating a career pivot, aspiring to break into product management, or looking to thrive in high-stakes roles. Mridula’s story is proof that finding your passion and honing relationship-building skills can lead to a fulfilling career.

About Mridula:
An immigrant-turned-product leader, Mridula started her career in financial consulting before taking the leap into the technology world. Now at Walmart, she’s helping define and deliver impactful solutions for consumers while staying grounded in her passion for technology and empathetic leadership.

Connect with Mridula:
Find her on LinkedIn (Mridula Kidiyur) to learn more about her work and career journey!

In this special episode, I sit down with the remarkable Abhishek Shanbhag, a 13-year-old entrepreneur and CEO of Bizzlearn, a pioneering financial literacy platform for kids. Dialing in from Ashburn, Virginia, Abhishek shares his inspiring journey of starting Bizzlearn, which aims to educate children aged 10 to 14 about finance through a gamified learning experience.

Listen as Abhishek discusses his early entrepreneurial ventures, the motivation behind creating Bizzlearn, and how he balances school, sports, and running a company. He also talks about his consistent LinkedIn presence, his aspirations to stay in the field of entrepreneurship, and his admiration for iconic figures like Warren Buffett.

This episode is filled with insights on leadership, time management, and the importance of financial education for young minds. Don’t miss out on this inspiring conversation with one of the youngest CEOs making a significant impact in the world of finance.

Connect with Abhishek on LinkedIn