In a full display of the precariousness of the so called EdTech sector, or at least in a way that shows what not to do, Duolingo (DUOL on Nasdaq, founded in 2011, market cap of 16 billion dollars, being traded at $330 dollars a share as of today, October 7, 2025) posted what to do when you have job interviews. Except its audience is not anyone who actually wants to learn a language, never has been, and never will be.

Duolingo is a clear example of “gamification in education”. There are studies on that, but I would briefly argue that the people who never realized they were being tricked with some gimmicks in order to buy a product, not to mention share data and watch ads (which can get a little crazy), probably have a worse chance of passing the interview anyway.

To understand a little bit more about what Participatory Fluency does, watch this video.

Below, you can find Duolingo’s post on LinkedIn.

Job interviews can be nerve-wracking. Sometimes this results in freezing up in an interview. 🥶 What do you do if that happens?!

Here are some options:

1. Repeat the question back.
Saying the question out loud can help kick-start your thinking. Rephrasing the question out loud can help too.

2. Ask for some time.
It’s OK to say “I need some time to collect my thoughts” or “Let me think about this for a moment.” And, if the interviewer responds negatively, that’s a signal on the company culture.

3. Think through your job history.
Walking through a familiar structure can guide your thinking, calm your nerves, and help surface examples.

4. Still stuck? Acknowledge that you’re frozen.
Share that you’re having a brain fart. It keeps the conversation moving, and chances are the interviewer will move to the next question and then come back to the original question. Sometimes you just need a reset.