If talking your way out of trouble were a language, DuolingoDUOL

just proved fluency. Despite the kind of corporate drama that would tongue-tie any boardroom, shares of the language learning app soared nearly 15% from Wednesday to Monday as the company aced earnings, announced an acquisition, and ignited analyst upgrades.

• DUOL
  has trailed the Nasdaq this year as investors worried that free GPTs will usurp paying users — but analysts at Citi and KeyBanc believe those fears are “overblown” and issued buy ratings.
• Still, after leaning heavily on viral social media marketing to 7x its market cap, Duolingo lost its celebrated strategist — the architect of an “engine that drove waves of new users.”

Eye of the storm: At the center of the drama was CEO Luis von Ahn’s “AI-first” memo, which stoked fears of mass layoffs and prompted a public outcry. Since then, von Ahn has emphasized that full-time roles are safe and hiring remains steady, with automation aimed at short-term contractors, not staff. He admits the initial message “lacked context,” but insisted AI will boost team efficiency and change how work gets done rather than say “adiós” to Duolingo’s workforce.