I have been following r/Duolingo sub-reddit for a few months and have noticed a pattern of growing frustration with the popular language learning app. Many users are venting by breaking their multi-year streaks and canceling subscriptions.

As someone who barely made it through a 30-day streak learning Japanese before dropping the app, I’m admittedly an outsider to the deeper frustrations of long-term Duolingo users. The recurring complaints I’ve observed hint at a larger story about the platform’s transformation that deserves its own dedicated analysis.

The main criticisms center around intrusive ads (even for subscribers), increasingly aggressive monetization that restricts learning for free users, and the removal of valued core features. As Phil Bates recently wrote for MakeUseOf, “I Used to Love Duolingo, but It’s Fallen So Far in These 5 Ways.”

Last week’s dramatic announcement from r/Duolingo moderators didn’t come out of nowhere. It followed weeks of attempted dialogue with the company, including a detailed letter sent to CEO Luis von Ahn in December 2024.

The Breaking Point

According to the moderators’ letter, r/Duolingo saw 7.9 million visitors in 2024, which they say represents a 1,400% increase in support-related content since 2019. In their letter to the CEO, the moderators claimed that despite Duolingo’s $16.2 billion valuation and 8.6 million paying subscribers, they had learned the company maintains only two regular, full-time support staff members plus freelancers.

While Class Central cannot independently verify this staffing number, the claim has become a central point in the ongoing discussion about the platform’s user support.

In their December letter to CEO Luis von Ahn, the moderators raised several concerns:

• What they described as severe understaffing in customer support, citing reports of long delays or lack of response for paying customers
• An account of a hospitalized user who allegedly lost their streak and was unable to get support during their recovery
• Their observations about disparities between popular language courses and “legacy courses” created by volunteers
• What they perceived as insufficient communication about platform changes and updates

The Company’s Response

In January, CEO von Ahn responded to these concerns with a letter that acknowledged the feedback but largely defended the status quo. He emphasized the company’s focus on their eight largest language courses (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, and Korean) and mentioned investments in automating support functions.

“We are investing in automating more of the Support function to make sure we continue to improve the quality of service for our paying users,” von Ahn stated, while noting that they have “a global team of support agents, managed by our staff, that prioritize support for subscribers.”

The Final Straw

This response, which failed to address the core concerns about human support staff and growing community burden, appears to have been the catalyst for last week’s dramatic action. With over 13,000 upvotes and widespread community backing, the moderators announced they would no longer serve as Duolingo’s unofficial customer support channel, implementing several immediate changes:

• Removal of all posts related to account issues, bug reports, and billing problems
• Shutdown of their FAQ page and removal of existing troubleshooting guides
• Directing users exclusively to Duolingo’s official support channels
• Limiting the subreddit to general discussions about language learning

This particular announcement received over 13,000 upvotes and was supported by the r/Duolingo community.

The moderators also launched a petition demanding Duolingo hire more customer service employees, arguing that while they support the platform’s mission, the burden of customer support should not fall on volunteer community members. At the time of writing, the petition received 313 of 400 signatures.

Looking Forward

This situation raises fundamental questions about how rapidly growing tech companies handle user support and community management. While Duolingo’s success story – from language learning app to $16 billion company – is impressive, the current crisis suggests that some of this growth may have come at the expense of user support infrastructure.

For now, users seeking help with Duolingo will need to rely on the company’s limited official support channels. The moderators’ message is clear: “This community is for discussing language learning—not for doing Duolingo’s job for them.”