CBO Duolingo, Bob Meese: Carrying Culture Through Language

11/29/21 • 55 min

2 Listeners

Language is without doubt the single most valuable tool we use, and in its use, it ironically builds barriers. Fortunately in recent years with the rise of companies like Duolingo, those barriers are becoming more opaque. In this episode, Bob Meese, Chief Business Officer at Duolingo, joins the show to discuss all the innovative ways that Duolingo is making language learning a more feasible aspect of our lives.

Bob started at Google with a solid 8-year stretch that served as a proving ground for his own professional philosophy. An integral component of that philosophy is to be employee-centric in his vision and execution. In his move to Duolingo, Bob carried that thinking forward. Firmly established at Duolingo, Bob shares with us the impact that the company has on their customers, and even with his own family— namely in making language learning just plain fun. Bob also explores the importance of language, and how Duolingo is striking a firm balance between creating revenue and profit while providing such an altruistic product.

In this episode, we cover:

A quick look at Bob’s time at Google - and how his philosophy on professional inertia played into his decision to move on to Duolingo. (02:47)
Why Bob encourages his star employees to shine, even if it results in their decision to seek opportunities beyond their role and the company. (07:28)
A risk worth taking: The journey that led Bob and his family back to Pittsburgh to begin his career at Duolingo. (10:57)
An overview of Duolingo including current stats, its evolution, and what is on the horizon. (16:20)
A discussion about the monetization of Duolingo, what the company looked like when Bob joined as CRO, and how Duolingo established its identity. (22:51)
Bob reflects on his experience with changing company culture - and shares why he would do it all over again as he looks back on his years at Duolingo. (35:14)
Duolingo’s revenue growth, the timing of the IPO, and why operating as a private company still works after recently going public. (41:05)
Joubin and Bob discuss the impact of language and how it is a core part of human identity - and why Duolingo strives to make learning languages more accessible. (47:28)

Links:

Connect with Bob
- Twitter
- Duolingo
Connect with Joubin
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
- Email: [email protected]
Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

In this episode, we cover:

A quick look at Bob’s time at Google - and how his philosophy on professional inertia played into his decision to move on to Duolingo. (02:47)
Why Bob encourages his star employees to shine, even if it results in their decision to seek opportunities beyond their role and the company. (07:28)
A risk worth taking: The journey that led Bob and his family back to Pittsburgh to begin his career at Duolingo. (10:57)
An overview of Duolingo including current stats, its evolution, and what is on the horizon. (16:20)
A discussion about the monetization of Duolingo, what the company looked like when Bob joined as CRO, and how Duolingo established its identity. (22:51)
Bob reflects on his experience with changing company culture - and shares why he would do it all over again as he looks back on his years at Duolingo. (35:14)
Duolingo’s revenue growth, the timing of the IPO, and why operating as a private company still works after recently going public. (41:05)
Joubin and Bob discuss the impact of language and how it is a core part of human identity - and why Duolingo strives to make learning languages more accessible. (47:28)

Links:

Connect with Bob
- Twitter
- Duolingo
Connect with Joubin
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
- Email: [email protected]
Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

Previous Episode

CRO Pendo, Jennifer Brannigan: Un-designing Your Leadership Path

To make the leap from HR to sales may seem like a significant obstacle to surmount. For Jennifer Brannigan, CRO at Pendo, it was an easy choice to make. Her decision to pursue her own interests and passion over a high salary set her on a path toward where she is today. And for her, the journey still continues.

As she puts it, her professional roadmap is much like a jungle gym, as it is varied and intriguing. In this episode, Jennifer shares why she transitioned to sales in the midst of an accelerating HR career, and what she learned from her time at NBC Universal and LinkedIn. She also brings a refreshing take as she explains her unconventional subscription to JOMO (the joy of missing out) and provides insight on why she focuses on cultivating potential over check-the-box skillsets.

In this episode, we cover:

Jennifer’s exciting summer job in Ireland - and why she aspires to embrace JOMO (the joy of missing out). (03:18)
A look into the neighborhood Jennifer grew up in, located in South Side, Chicago - and why Joubin thinks she would make a great podcast host. (09:07)
How Jennifer’s experience at NBC Universal transferred into her next role - and what she learned from the challenges that came with her position at LinkedIn. (12:56)
Jennifer’s perspective on leading LinkedIn’s large-scale layoff and how her HR experience prepared her for that difficult task. (17:54)
From LinkedIn to Pendo: Jennifer’s journey towards her role as CRO - and her thoughts on her career trajectory. (21:55)
Joubin and Jennifer explore the positive effect that running and exercise have on their mental health. (30:14)
More on Jennifer’s path to Pendo: what she looked for in her search and how she spent her first 6 months. (35:15)
Pendo’s cross-organizational hiring rubric - and Jennifer’s viewpoint on hiring potential vs success. (43:48)
Jennifer uses her own experiences to rank career, money, company, and manager - and she shares her favorite simple habit and one she’d like to develop. (56:44)

Links:

Connect with Jennifer
- Email: [email protected]
- Pendo
Connect with Joubin
- Twitter
- LinkedIn
- Email: [email protected]
Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

Next Episode

CRO Unqork, Philip Lacor: Playing the Infinite Game

For some, expanding their horizons is something that they, as individuals, strive to do. Fortunately, Philip Lacor, CRO at Unqork, takes those expansions to another level. Philip thrives as a cross-functional leader and leaves his own stamp by creating challenging and diverse environments for a wide variety of people. From his philosophy on building global teams, to how he rears his own children, diversity is the center of how Philip builds his approaches.

Join the conversation as Philip takes us through his multifaceted career path. Coming from the Netherlands, but with a drive to develop a global vision, he offers unique comparisons between how Europeans and Americans work. Language is also a central priority for Philip, and his perspective on the importance of learning new languages and his implementation of that learning in his own life are paramount. We also explore how Philip shapes and values diverse teams, and the ways in which he enacts this conviction. He has a personal passion to see more women in leadership roles, and we learn how he honors his late wife and her amazing contribution to the world through The Lideke Wery Foundation.

In this episode, we cover:

The moment Philip realized that he wanted to experience the world outside of the Netherlands and start a global career - and his thoughts about the similarities between Europeans and Americans. (05:46)
Philip’s personal tricks for mastering public speaking and how that plays into his conversations with customers. (08:49)
A discussion about learning new languages and how Philip teaches his children to adapt to new environments. (15:51)
Why Philip enjoys working cross-functionally and closely with customers - and a walkthrough of Philip’s process for building customer-centric teams. (21:10)
A look at Philip’s short, yet successful time at Envoy and his transition into his role as Unqork’s CRO. (29:01)
Four traits that successful reps should cultivate in an early-stage company. (38:23)
Defining active mental recovery and how it contributes to long-term success - and why it’s important to embrace and enjoy where you are. (43:40)
Philip reflects on his role as a leader and discusses time management on a global team and his passion for hiring diverse talent. (50:30)
The Lideke Wery Foundation: In honor of Philip’s late wife, The Lideke Wery Foundation transforms the lives of students in Sri Lanka through learning English and computer education. (59:56)

Links: