Duolingo Upgraded: Analyst Sees AI As Ally, Not Threat

Core Viewpoint - Duolingo Inc is expected to outperform estimates in the next 12 months due to effective product and viral marketing strategies, according to KeyBanc Capital Markets [1]. Company Performance - Duolingo's stock has faced challenges, declining by 11% year to date, primarily due to concerns that AI may reduce its total addressable market (TAM) both domestically and internationally [2]. - Despite these challenges, AI innovations are anticipated to enhance monetization rather than hinder it [3]. Product Developments - The company is transitioning from a "Hearts" system to an "Energy" system, which incentivizes users for correct answers. This change has reportedly led to improvements in daily active users (DAUs), median time spent learning, and subscriber conversion rates [3]. - The initial rollout of the new feature on iOS has shown positive results across all three metrics, which is considered rare for a single feature [3]. Stock Performance - As of the latest publication, Duolingo's shares increased by 9.13%, reaching a price of $356.80 [4].