TIVP062: Duolingo (DUOL): Generational Opportunity or fad? w/ Daniel Mahncke & Shawn O’Malley
The Intrinsic Value Podcast - The Investor’s Podcast Network
Valuation, Metrics, and Sales Efficiency
Daniel explains EV/FCF, R&D accounting effects on ROIC, and Duolingo's strong marketing ROI metric.
Daniel Mahncke and Shawn O’Malley take a deep dive into Duolingo — the leading language learning app with over 50 million daily active users and the chaotic green owl as a mascot. Since its IPO in 2021, Duolingo has expanded beyond language instruction to include math, music, and chess. The vision is to create the world's largest learning platform.
Some people believe Duolingo will succeed and become a company worth hundreds of billions of dollars, dominating one of the largest and most profitable markets – education. However, the stock has fallen 80% from its highs, as the market views Duolingo as a potential target for AI disruption.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:05:51 - About the mission of the CEO and Founder, Luis von Ahn
00:08:29 - Why Duolingo was founded
00:10:34 - Why Duolingo works better than other apps
00:17:16 - About Duolingo's user numbers and growth
00:37:55 - Why the stock dropped 80%
00:40:55 - Whether AI is a threat or an opportunity
00:53:47 - What the bull and bear cases look like
01:18:11 - Whether Shawn and Daniel add Duolingo to the portfolio
*Disclaimer: Slight timestamp discrepancies may occur due to podcast platform differences.
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