Date of Birth: August 19, 1978
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Biography
Luis von Ahn is a Guatemalan entrepreneur and computer scientist, best known as the co-founder and CEO of Duolingo, the world’s most popular language-learning platform. He was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and developed an early interest in technology. Von Ahn moved to the United States to pursue higher education, earning his bachelor’s degree at Duke University and later a Ph.D. in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University. Von Ahn is a pioneer in the field of human computation and crowdsourcing, having developed the concept of CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA, systems designed to differentiate human users from bots and which have been widely adopted across the internet. His innovations have not only enhanced online security but also facilitated the digitization of books and other printed materials. In 2011, von Ahn co-founded Duolingo with Severin Hacker. The app has since become a global phenomenon, democratizing language education by making it free and accessible to millions of users worldwide. von Ahn’s work has earned him numerous accolades, including a MacArthur Fellowship, often referred to as a “genius grant.”
5 Interesting Facts about Luis von Ahn
1. Luis von Ahn is considered one of the pioneers of crowdsourcing and coined the term “human computation.”
2. He has been awarded the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the “genius grant,” in 2006.
3. Von Ahn’s development of CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA has helped digitize millions of books and improve internet security.
4. Duolingo, co-founded by von Ahn, offers courses in over 30 languages and has more than 500 million users.
5. He is also a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, where he continues to contribute to research in computer science.
5 Most Interesting Quotes from Luis von Ahn
1. “CAPTCHA is a way of forcing people to do something that helps us digitize books.”
2. “The biggest goal of Duolingo is to give everyone access to high-quality language education for free.”
3. “I believe that technology can be a great equalizer, providing opportunities to those who would otherwise not have them.”
4. “One of the things that motivates me the most is making a large-scale, positive impact on the world.”
5. “Human computation is about using the ability of humans to solve problems that computers cannot yet solve.”
Highest Net Worth Achieved
Luis von Ahn’s highest net worth is estimated to be around $700 million, largely attributed to the success of Duolingo.
Children
There is no publicly available information about Luis von Ahn’s children.
Relevant Links
1. [Luis von Ahn – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_von_Ahn
2. [Duolingo Official Website](https://www.duolingo.com/
5. [Luis von Ahn’s MacArthur Fellowship](https://www.macfound.org/fellows/823/
