E-Paper
CEO of billion-dollar company uses ‘taxi driver test’ to decide who gets hired - even for ‘perfect’ candidates
The CEO recounted rejecting a top hire whom the company had chased for months after they failed the ‘taxi driver test’.
Luis von Ahn revealed why his billion-dollar company, Duolingo, uses a particular test involving taxi drivers before hiring top executives. He spoke about it during an appearance on “The Burnouts,” a podcast hosted by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni.
During the conversation, the CEO said, “At Duolingo taxi drivers determine if candidates get hired.” Recalling an incident, he explained, “We were trying to hire a chief financial officer for a year and there was one candidate we all really liked.”
Also Read: CEO recalls candidate who 'interrogated' him during interview, then rejected the job within minutes
Ahn recounted that the candidate had a strong resume and they looked like the right person for the job. However, the company decided not to hire the person after they were “pretty mean” to the cab driver on the way from the airport to the Duolingo office.
The CEO explained, “If they are going to me mean to the driver, they’re probably be mean to other people too, especially the people working under them” He added, “Sometimes the biggest interview answers never happen in the room, it happens in the car ride over when they think no one important is watching.”
How did social media react?
The post prompted varied responses on social media. An individual posted, “That’s a smart move.” Another added, “100% says a lot about who you are - how you treat people when no one is watching!”
A third commented, “Love this.” A fourth wrote, “This is totally valid, it says so much about their character.”
Many, however, mentioned CEO Luis Von Ahn’s “AI-first” memo that went viral last year, conjuring worries of mass layoffs. The CEO of the $16.8 billion language app later clarified that it didn’t want to replace its “full-time employees” and didn’t intend to “lay off humans.”
Who is Luis Von Ahn?
He is the co-founder and CEO of popular language-learning app Duolingo. After receiving his BS in mathematics from Duke University, he pursued a PhD in computer science at Carnegie Mellon University.
Before starting Duolingo, he co-founded a CAPTCHA verification system that helps distinguish humans from robots online. However, he sold the company to Google in 2009. At one point in his career, he was also a professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
He grew up in Guatemala City and was raised by his mother and grandmother. In 1996, he relocated to the US to attend Duke and eventually Carnegie Mellon.
What is Luis Von Ahn’s net worth?
The net worth of the Guatemalan-American entrepreneur and software developer is estimated at $1.1 billion.
He co-founded Duolingo with Swiss computer scientist Severin Hacker in 2011. Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker have served on the company’s board since its founding.
