Gaurav Munjal, CEO of Unacademy took a dig at the language-learning app Duolingo. He shared a post on  X (formerly Twitter) to voice his dissatisfaction with the app, saying despite completing a 100-day streak on Duolingo while learning Spanish, he was still unable to speak or write even basic sentences in the language.

Munjal used this example to highlight the shortcomings of current language-learning tools, explaining that it was this very frustration that inspired him to create Airlearn, a new platform designed to bridge these gaps and offer a more effective learning experience.

He described the Airlearn app as a "Language Learning Product that genuinely helps you learn the language, rather than serving as a status symbol for a virtual reward like the Streak."

Problems with Duolingo:

He pointed out that the first issue with Duolingo is its oversimplification of language learning. According to him, Duolingo fails to teach the fundamental concepts of grammar, instead relying on exercises with the expectation that users will learn the concepts on their own.

In contrast, he highlighted that Airlearn’s Teaching Slides ensure users understand the concepts first. "Our users love these slides," he added, emphasizing the platform’s approach to thorough, concept-driven learning.

"We believe that AI will revolutionize personalized tutoring. But it won’t just focus on gamification or making you do exercises. It will be about teaching you in the same way a tutor sitting in front of you would", he added. He focused on the fact that this principle is at the core of Airlearn’s design.

In his posts, Munjal also shared several screenshots of user reviews for Airlearn, with many claiming, "Every day, more and more people are switching from Duolingo to Airlearn."

Marking the success of his language-learning app Airlearn, Munjal shared a post on X on the completion of 1 million lessons on the app in October this year. He revealed that the majority of users are from the U.S. while French and Spanish are the most learnt languages.