Duolingo, Inc. (DUOL) Q3 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Access earnings results, analyst expectations, report, slides, earnings call, and transcript.
Overview
The earnings call summary shows mixed signals. Financial performance is strong with 33% YoY growth in bookings and a steady adjusted EBITDA margin. However, the lack of specific guidance and focus on long-term growth over immediate profitability could concern investors. The Q&A reveals positive sentiment towards AI-driven initiatives but highlights uncertainty due to vague management responses. Overall, these factors balance each other, leading to a neutral outlook.
Key Financial Performance
Daily Active Users (DAUs) More than 50 million people now use Duolingo every day. No year-over-year change or reasons for change mentioned.
Bookings Nearly $1.2 billion in bookings this year with 33% growth year-over-year. Reason for growth not explicitly mentioned.
Adjusted EBITDA Margin 29% adjusted EBITDA margin. No year-over-year change or reasons for change mentioned.
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Operating Highlights
AI integration in education: Duolingo is focusing on leveraging AI to fundamentally transform education and improve its teaching products.
Daily active users: Duolingo now has over 50 million daily active users, showcasing strong user engagement.
Annual bookings: The company is guiding to nearly $1.2 billion in bookings for the year, reflecting 33% growth.
Profitability and scalability: Duolingo achieved an adjusted EBITDA margin of 29%, indicating improved profitability while scaling its operations.
Long-term vision: Duolingo sees itself as early in its journey and is focused on building transformative educational products through AI.
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Risk or Challenges
Forward-looking statements: Subject to material risks and uncertainties, as outlined in SEC filings. These risks could impact future events and financial performance.
Non-GAAP financial measures: Potential challenges in interpreting financial performance due to reliance on non-GAAP measures, which may not be directly comparable to GAAP results.
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Guidance & Outlook
Bookings: Guiding to nearly $1.2 billion in bookings for the year with 33% growth.
Adjusted EBITDA Margin: Expected to achieve an adjusted EBITDA margin of 29% for the year.
AI in Education: Belief that AI will fundamentally transform education, with plans to build a product that teaches better than ever before.
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Shareholder Return Plan
The selected topic was not discussed during the call.
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Key Q&A
Q:What are the underlying drivers of DAU growth in Q4 and engagement overall?
A:DAU growth in Q3 was 36% year-over-year, driven by factors such as the locking partnership in Asia and product improvements that enhanced retention. However, a pause in 'unhinged' social media posts temporarily impacted DAU growth. The resumption of these posts has shown recovery. DAU growth in September and October was around 30% year-over-year, with some deceleration expected in Q4.
Q:What is driving the decision to shift investments towards long-term growth?
A:The shift is driven by the opportunity presented by AI to fundamentally change education and create an app that teaches as effectively as a human tutor. This long-term investment focuses on teaching better, which supports user growth and eventually monetization, though with a lag. The goal is sustained DAU growth over a long period.
Q:Is the focus on long-term prioritization a durable shift in strategy?
A:Yes, the focus on long-term prioritization is expected to continue for years as the company invests in creating the best possible learning app. Initiatives for next year include guided video calls for beginners, expanded math content, player-versus-player chess, a revamped music course, and enhanced language courses for the top 9 languages.
Q:How is the new chess course progressing?
A:The chess course is the fastest-growing course, surpassing math and music, with millions of users and slightly higher retention than language learning. Player-versus-player (PVP) chess is being rolled out, with 50% of iOS users already having access. Full rollout is expected within weeks or months.
Q:What does prioritization of user growth over monetization look like?
A:The company is prioritizing user growth in experiments where trade-offs are needed. For example, they would avoid changes that increase monetization but harm DAU growth, such as reducing free energy units for users. The focus is on long-term growth due to the large opportunity ahead.
Q:Why is the company shifting focus to growth over near-term profitability now?
A:The shift is due to the unique opportunity presented by AI to revolutionize education and create a highly effective learning app. The company has been progressively rallying towards this shift over the past months, aiming for long-term growth while balancing financial performance.
Q:What are the learnings from the energy feature?
A:The energy feature increased both bookings and DAUs as expected. It has been fully rolled out to all users who updated the app in the last 6-9 months.
Q:How is the company addressing different learning needs across demographics?
A:While there are some differences in learning needs, the company focuses on creating a better course for the masses, with adaptations for individual pace. Improvements in teaching are expected to translate to user growth over time, though not immediately.
Q:What is the status of the family plan?
A:The family plan accounts for 29% of subscribers and continues to grow. It performed well during last year’s New Year’s promotion, indicating room for further growth.
Q:What is the progress in China and the potential for Max there?
A:China is the fastest-growing country, accounting for 5-6% of the business. Engagement and retention are high. Max is being tested in China and is expected to launch in weeks or months, depending on approvals.
Q:What is the significance of the Duolingo score?
A:The Duolingo score measures language proficiency and can be shared on LinkedIn. It aims to become the standard for language proficiency, particularly for English learners. The score aligns with the Duolingo English Test, accepted by over 6,000 institutions globally.
Q:Review of Unclear Management Responses
A:Management avoided providing specific guidance for Q4 DAUs and next year’s financials, using vague language about being 'excited' about initiatives and emphasizing long-term growth without concrete details. They also did not specify the exact timeline for achieving the long-term goals or the financial impact of the shift in strategy.
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Earnings Word Cloud
The most frequently occurring keywords in this quarter's earning call
CFO Instructions
Chairman President
Duolingo Webcast
Founder Chairman
Instructions event
Instructions reminder
President CEO
SEC measure
Today Co
Webcast Today
evening Duolingo
event Instructions
investorsduolingocom Today
letter website
measure Co
result evening
risk filing
DUOL Transcript
Duolingo, Inc. (DUOL) Q3 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Unknown11-5
The earnings call summary shows mixed signals. Financial performance is strong with 33% YoY growth in bookings and a steady adjusted EBITDA margin. However, the lack of specific guidance and focus on long-term growth over immediate profitability could concern investors. The Q&A reveals positive sentiment towards AI-driven initiatives but highlights uncertainty due to vague management responses. Overall, these factors balance each other, leading to a neutral outlook.
Duolingo, Inc. (DUOL) Q1 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Positive5-2
Duolingo's earnings report shows strong financial performance with a 25% revenue increase and a positive EPS turnaround. The company projects robust future bookings and margin expansion, supported by strategic investments in AI and new product offerings. Despite some risks and competitive pressures, the positive guidance and operational efficiencies suggest a favorable outlook. Additionally, the Q&A reveals management's confidence in their growth roadmap, further supporting a positive sentiment. However, lack of clarity on some specifics and the absence of market cap data suggest a moderate positive impact, leading to a 'Positive' rating.
Duolingo, Inc. (DUOL) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Transcript
Positive2-27
The earnings call indicates strong financial performance with significant revenue and DAU growth, despite some challenges like AI cost impact on margins and foreign exchange risks. The Q&A reveals positive sentiment with better-than-expected promo performance and broad-based DAU growth. Despite uncertainties in Max penetration and pricing strategy, the overall outlook is optimistic, particularly with expected EBITDA margin expansion and strong product adoption. The market strategy and financial health ratings are adjusted positively based on these insights.
Duolingo, Inc. (DUOL) Q3 2024 Earnings Call Transcript
Positive11-7
The earnings call presents a positive outlook with strong DAU growth, increased revenue and bookings guidance, and improvements in adjusted EBITDA margin. The rollout of Duolingo Max and investments in AI are promising, despite some competitive pressures and regulatory risks. The Q&A section highlights confidence in user engagement and growth strategies. The lack of a share repurchase program is a minor negative, but overall, the positive aspects outweigh the negatives, suggesting a stock price movement in the range of 2% to 8% over the next two weeks.
DUOL Report
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does this earnings call transcript come from?
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They are generated by a specialized financial-language model trained exclusively on 15+ years of earnings transcripts. The model extracts financial figures, guidance, and tone with 97%+ accuracy and is regularly validated against human analysts. The full raw transcript always remains available for verification.
