BYJU'S vs Duolingo: Founders, CEOs and History
BYJU'S was founded in 2011 by Byju Raveendran, Divya Gokulnath and is led by Byju Raveendran. Duolingo was founded in 2011 by Luis von Ahn, Severin Hacker and is led by Luis von Ahn.
Company facts
Founders
BYJU'S
Byju Raveendran
Byju Raveendran founded Think and Learn Private Limited, the company behind BYJU'S, in 2011, after his CAT and school maths classes had grown to fill auditoriums and stadiums.
Divya Gokulnath
Divya Gokulnath co-founded BYJU'S with Byju Raveendran in 2011 and was one of the teachers in its early video lessons.
Duolingo
Luis von Ahn
Duolingo possesses a fascinating, academic founding story, rooted in the effective intersection of crowdsourcing, artificial intelligence, and a profound desire to democratize global education.
Severin Hacker
Severin Hacker co-founded Duolingo with Luis von Ahn in 2011. While pursuing his PhD at Carnegie Mellon, he developed the algorithmic architecture that broke down translation tasks into structured language lessons.
CEOs and their tenures
BYJU'S
- Byju Raveendran2011–present
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Built India's best-known edtech brand and its most valuable startup, peaking at $22 billion in 2022.
Source - Arjun Mohan2023–2024
Chief Executive Officer, BYJU'S India
A former BYJU'S executive who had gone on to run upGrad, Mohan resigned in April 2024 after about seven months and moved to an external advisory role, with Byju Raveendran taking back daily operations.
Source
Duolingo
- Luis von Ahn2011–present
Co-founder and CEO
Von Ahn grew Duolingo from a Carnegie Mellon research project into a public company with more than $1B in annual revenue, keeping core learning free while building a subscription business on top of it.
Source - Severin Hacker2011–present
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer
Severin Hacker co-founded Duolingo with Luis von Ahn. As Chief Technology Officer, he played a fundamental role in designing the platform's initial machine learning architecture and data-driven approach to language education, ensuring the app scales efficientl…
Source
Timeline: BYJU'S and Duolingo side by side
2011BYJU'S
Think and Learn is founded in Bengaluru: Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath set up Think and Learn Private Limited to turn Raveendran's CAT and school maths classes into recorded video lessons.
2011Duolingo
Duolingo Founded
Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker found Duolingo in Pittsburgh.
2012Duolingo
Public Launch
Duolingo launches publicly as a free language learning platform.
2013Duolingo
Language Incubator Launched
Duolingo launched a crowdsourced language incubator in October 2013 so volunteers could build new courses.
2015BYJU'S
The BYJU'S app launches: The BYJU'S Learning App launched in 2015 with animated lessons for school maths and science, moving the company from SD cards and tablets to phones.
2016BYJU'S
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative invests: A $50 million round led by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in 2016 was the initiative's first investment in Asia.
2016Duolingo
Duolingo English Test Launches
The company launches an online English proficiency assessment.
2019BYJU'S
Osmo deal and Indian cricket team jersey sponsorship: BYJU'S bought Tangible Play, maker of the Osmo learning games, in February 2019 and became the Indian cricket team's jersey sponsor in September 2…
2019Duolingo
Series F at $1.5 Billion
Duolingo raised $30 million in December 2019 at a $1.5 billion valuation.
2020BYJU'S
WhiteHat Jr bought for $300 million: BYJU'S acquired the children's coding start-up in 2020 as school closures pushed demand for online classes.
2020Duolingo
Series H at $2.4 Billion
Duolingo raised $35 million in November 2020 at a $2.4 billion valuation.
2021BYJU'S
Aakash, Epic and Great Learning deals and a $1.2 billion loan: In 2021 BYJU'S agreed to buy Aakash Educational Services for about $950 million, Epic for $500 million and Great Learning for $600 millio…
2021Duolingo
Nasdaq Listing
Duolingo goes public under the ticker DUOL.
2022BYJU'S
Valuation peaks at $22 billion: BYJU'S was valued at $22 billion in 2022, making it India's most valuable startup, and sponsored the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
2022Duolingo
Acquired Gunner
Duolingo acquired Gunner. Brought the Detroit animation studio behind much of Duolingo's character art in-house.
2023BYJU'S
Auditor resigns and lenders declare default: Deloitte resigned as auditor in June 2023 citing delays in the FY2022 accounts, term loan lenders declared the $1.2 billion loan in default, and Arjun Moha…
2023Duolingo
Duolingo Max
Duolingo introduces AI-powered premium features in Max.
2024BYJU'S
FY2022 accounts show an Rs 8,245 crore loss: Accounts filed in January 2024, about 22 months after the year ended, showed FY2022 revenue of Rs 5,298 crore and a loss of Rs 8,245 crore.
2024BYJU'S
Insolvency begins on a BCCI claim: On 16 July 2024 the NCLT in Bengaluru admitted Think and Learn into insolvency over Rs 158.9 crore of unpaid sponsorship dues owed to the BCCI.
2025BYJU'S
Epic and Tynker sold at a fraction of cost: On 20 May 2025 a US bankruptcy court approved the sale of Epic to TAL Education for $95 million and of Tynker to CodeHS for $2.2 million.
2025BYJU'S
Learning app pulled from Google Play: The main BYJU'S Learning app was removed from Google Play in May 2025 after unpaid dues to Amazon Web Services.
2025BYJU'S
$1.07 billion default judgment against the founder: On 20 November 2025 the US bankruptcy court in Delaware entered a default judgment of about $1.07 billion against Byju Raveendran over funds moved o…
2025Duolingo
First $1B Revenue Year
FY2025 revenue reaches $1.038B with $414.1M net income.
2025Duolingo
Acquired NextBeat
Duolingo acquired NextBeat. Acquired the music-gaming startup to strengthen the Duolingo music course.
2026BYJU'S
Singapore court sentences founder for contempt: In May 2026 a Singapore court sentenced Byju Raveendran to six months in jail for contempt after finding he had disobeyed orders about his assets.
2026BYJU'S
NCLT pauses the buyer search: On 22 July 2026 the NCLT told the resolution professional not to issue Form G or finalise the list of prospective bidders until the next hearing.
2026BYJU'S
Aakash rights issue dispute settled: Think and Learn and Aakash told the NCLT on 23 September 2026 that they had settled their dispute over Aakash's rights issue.
2026Duolingo
Q2 2026 Results
Revenue $298.5M (+18%), DAUs 58.7M (+23%), paid subscribers 12.7M (+17%).
Acquisitions
BYJU'S
- Aakash Educational Services2021$950M
- Epic!2021$500M
- Great Learning2021$600M
- Toppr2021$150M
- Tynker2021$200M
- GeoGebra2021Undisclosed
Questions about BYJU'S vs Duolingo
Who is the CEO of BYJU'S and Duolingo, Inc.?
BYJU'S is led by Byju Raveendran and Duolingo, Inc. is led by Luis von Ahn. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was BYJU'S founded vs Duolingo, Inc.?
Both BYJU'S and Duolingo, Inc. were founded in 2011, making them the same age.
How many employees does BYJU'S have compared to Duolingo, Inc.?
Duolingo, Inc. employs approximately 900 people. A verified employee count for BYJU'S is not currently available.
Where are BYJU'S and Duolingo, Inc. headquartered?
BYJU'S is headquartered in India and Duolingo, Inc. is headquartered in United States. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded BYJU'S and Duolingo, Inc.?
BYJU'S was founded by Byju Raveendran, Divya Gokulnath. Duolingo, Inc. was founded by Luis von Ahn, Severin Hacker.
Which company has a longer operating history — BYJU'S or Duolingo, Inc.?
BYJU'S has been operating for approximately 15 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Duolingo, Inc. has been in operation for around 15 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the BYJU'S vs Duolingo overview