Founder Profile
Severin Hacker
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Severin Hacker?
Severin Hacker is a founder of Duolingo, Inc., which was founded in 2011 with Luis von Ahn.
- Company founded
- Duolingo, Inc.
- Founded
- 2011
- Co-founders
- Luis von Ahn
Background
Hacker earned his undergraduate degree from ETH Zurich and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University, focusing on human computation and machine learning under Luis von Ahn.
Founding Story
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. As Chief Technology Officer, he scaled the platform's infrastructure and engineered the gamification systems and machine learning models that track user progression. He guided the technical transition from crowdsourced translation to a dedicated educational platform.
Sources
This profile does not yet cite a source specific to Severin Hacker. The sources below document the company company rather than the person, so check them against the claims above.
- Duolingo FY2025 Form 10-K (Duolingo, Inc.)
- Duolingo Investor Relations (Duolingo, Inc.)