I'm kinda shocked by how people thought DuoLingo was ever going to be any different. They are a high-growth startup, through and through.

The founder gets on podcasts and extolls the virtues of relentless A/B tests. They very openly admit that their primary value add is gamification (otherwise people churn from language learning apps).

I suppose the lesson here is that the words you say to Silicon Valley types you want to impress are sometimes overheard by your core audience, who may not like your opinions.