We all drive culture

The other week a designer asked me a thoughtful question,

How will team culture take a step forward this year?

To me, culture is how we come together. It’s how we build each other up. It’s how we support and grow each other. It’s what we value and recognize, and it’s also what we say no to. Culture is not ping pong tables and tacos—those just happen to be places where we connect. Connecting, learning, and developing our craft with each other is what we aim for.

Culture doesn’t just come from me nor our managers. I want to make the most important person feel empowered to make Duolingo a place we’re proud to work at: you. Of course, our managers should know they’re responsible for bringing us together and make space for all voices to be heard. More importantly, each and every one of us can put our own thumbprint on culture.

There are so many examples of culture being shaped by Duos. Shandy always goes out of her way to bring people together during and after work. Bobert for years has been an unwavering voice for us to rally around creative possibilities. Lokesh, Caitlin, Kaila, and Carol made Duologues, a program that’s turned heads across the industry. Just last week Ang put together another Duologues session. Dux got us to crawl the filthy streets of New York. Hoshi spawned a wave of Hot Trash channels. Detroit has become our embassy. That barely scratches the surface.

Behind every culture and community moment there was a Duo that made it happen.