cofounder @duolingo @agroasters
New York, NY
Joined March 2009
- Tweets421
- Following717
- Followers425K
- Likes3.8K
Severin Hacker retweeted
The CFO of a CAC 40 company once told me they avoid M&A because it just adds more employees they can’t fire.
We own a French company that makes fighter jets. Demand right now is off the charts. They could probably have 10 to 15 years of orders.
We asked them why they wouldn't boost production. Did they not have the factory space?
They said they have plenty of space. But the second they hire more people, they can't lay them off. Because of that, they're not hiring more.
When every hire is a lifetime commitment, companies stay small, and new companies don't get started.
Look at the number of startups in Western Europe compared to the United States.
The protection of workers did not protect workers in the end, because you stop creating new jobs.
Severin Hacker retweeted
It's so weird how difficult it is for the left to understand that all you have to do to decrease housing costs is to let people build more housing.
Severin Hacker retweeted
excited to share what we have been up to.
your iphone’s home screen hasn’t changed in ~20 years. it’s the same static grid of icons since launch with zero awareness of your actual life.
@skye is a new agentic home screen for iphone.
no telegram. no mac mini. & no claws required. skye is ambient intelligence that just works.
it continuously listens to your context & acts on it. it builds your reading lists, gives you personalized weather, drafts email replies, prepares you for meetings & trips, flags suspicious charges, works through your reminders, tracks your health, & gives you one tap intel on wherever you are (restaurants, museums, neighborhoods, etc).
all surfaced on your home screen.
over the next few posts i’ll break down how it works, why we built it, & why we think it deserves to exist in the world.
beta starts today. if you’re on the list, you’ll get access very soon. app store shortly after. deeply appreciate you all following along on this fun little journey. also please join our discord !
Severin Hacker retweeted
Duolingo served its purpose and I am thankful for @LuisvonAhn + @severinhacker . By spending 45 mins on it daily in the morning (anywhere), I am able to converse in Indonesian in a casual setting. That was my intent, to do that w my friends and specific individuals.
Severin Hacker retweeted
Exciting news: @duolingo has acquired NextBeat, the team behind one of my favorite games, Beatstar! They’ll help us supercharge music education and kick off our new London office 🇬🇧🎶
Severin Hacker retweeted
Join Duo the Owl and friends on the Duolingo World Cruise with Carnival Cruise Line! 🛳️
Sail across 7 continents explore 195 countries 🌎 and learn over 40 languages—all while enjoying premium dining and entertainment.
Book the Duolingo World Cruise on Carnival now. Get ready for a vacation where the fun NEVER ends!
Severin Hacker retweeted
No, we need more like double that number yesterday!
The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low.
Think of this like a pro sports team: if you want your TEAM to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent wherever they may be. That enables the whole TEAM to win.
Severin Hacker retweeted
Friends, I’m telling you, make sleep your number one priority and everything in your life will improve.
Severin Hacker retweeted
Over 50% of unicorn founders are immigrants.
That's a massive skew compared to the general population. Here’s why I think this might be:
1. Selection bias: It takes a lot of courage for people to move to a different country. The types of people who do this are likely the same ones who become entrepreneurs and try big things.
2. Outsider perspective: You need to be able to see what's broken to know what to change. Immigrants bring fresh eyes to old problems.
3. Trained for struggle: If you've already struggled as an immigrant, you're okay with struggling more. You've been trained for it. It hardens you in a way.
4. All in, no safety net: There's pressure to make the immigration journey worthwhile. It’s not like you can just say “Well, I tried” and move back home. You have to make it work.
This drive seems baked into the immigrant experience. Anyone else feel this way?
Severin Hacker retweeted
I have never met someone who likes musicals and was also a net positive to society.
Severin Hacker retweeted
It’s official! 🇨🇭 @duolingo Co-Founder @severinhacker has won the #SwissImpact Award! Presented by Consul General, Ambassador Niculin Jäger, the award honors his exceptional impact on #EdTech, showcasing Swiss innovation + making education accessible for 500M+ users worldwide.
Severin Hacker retweeted
Another strong quarter for @duolingo! Q2 2024 results:
- 34.1M daily active users (+59% YoY)
- 103.6M monthly active users (+40% YoY)
- Revenue of $178.3M (+41% YoY)
- $48.1M of Adjusted EBITDA (27.0% margin)
Read more here: investors.duolingo.com/stati…