Severin Hacker

Severin Hacker co-founded Duolingo with Luis von Ahn in 2011, bringing deep expertise in machine learning, data structures, and algorithmic optimization that was critical to the development of the platform's proprietary spaced repetition algorithms and the complex systems required to aggregate and validate user-generated translations.

Severin Hacker is a Swiss-born computer scientist and entrepreneur who co-founded Duolingo with Luis von Ahn in 2011. Hacker met von Ahn while pursuing his PhD in Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, where his research focused on human computation and large-scale machine learning. Hacker's technical expertise was instrumental in the early development of Duolingo, particularly in designing the algorithms that broke down complex translation tasks into micro-lessons for language learners and aggregated the results to ensure accuracy. As the company's Chief Technology Officer and later as a key executive, Hacker played a critical role in scaling the platform's infrastructure to support hundreds of millions of users and in the development of the proprietary gamification engine that drives user retention. Hacker is known for his relentless work ethic, his deep understanding of the technical challenges associated with personalized learning at scale, and his commitment to the company's mission of free, accessible education. He has been a key figure in the company's transition from a translation crowdsourcing model to a pure educational platform, and in the integration of advanced machine learning and AI into the Duolingo curriculum.