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Duolingo may be known as the worlds largest language-learning app, but it also wants to get users hooked on learning music. On August 6, Duolingo announced its plan to acquire the team behind the London-based gaming startup NextBeat. The startup’s mobile gaming catalog, which includes Piano Tiles-style games like Beatstar and Country Star, has amassed around $200 million in revenue. Now, NextBeats staff will help Duolingo make its Music course more fun, effective and, ultimately, something you don’t want to put down. [Beatstar and Country Star] combined chart-topping licensed music with intuitive, satisfying gameplay and reached tens of millions of players worldwide, a Duolingo spokesperson said of the acquisition. The teams background spans game design, music licensing, live operations, and mobile monetization, all of which will strengthen Duolingo Music and beyond. For Duolingo, the deal is part of a larger plan to build out its non-language courses using its uniquely gamified learning modelultimately moving toward becoming an all-encompassing education app. What’s next for Duolingo Music The NextBeat acquisition announcement came on the same day as Duolingo’s second-quarter 2025 earnings report, which notched a 41% increase in revenue year over year and an 84% increase in net income. The report marked an overwhelmingly positive quarter for Duolingo, in spite of the backlash the company received earlier this year when CEO Luis von Ahn announced that Duolingo would be going AI first. On an earnings call with investors, von Ahn shared that the company would be raising its full-year guidance while still investing in both our core business and exciting new areas, like chess, math, and music, that we believe will drive long-term growth. Duolingo first added math courses to its repertoire in 2022, followed by music in 2023 and chess earlier this year. While the company declined to share specific numbers on the Music courses performance, a spokesperson did say that millions of learners are studying music on Duolingo, and the company views it as a key pillar of our evolution into a broader learning platform. Currently, Duolingos sole Music offering is a piano course. Through the NextBeat acquisition, though, the company plans to experiment with new modules like guitar, voice, and rhythm-based activities, chief business officer Bob Meese told Bloomberg News. Furthermore, a spokesperson shared with Fast Company that NextBeat will help to smooth out the in-lesson user experience by improving course pacing, personalization, and feedback mechanics. Were focused on making the Music course even more joyful and captivating, the spokesperson said. Our vision is to make music learning feel just as engaging and habit-forming as language learning does on Duolingo.
Category:
E-Commerce
Shares of Intel dropped more than 3% Thursday after President Donald Trump demanded the immediate resignation of the chipmakers CEO. Claiming that there is no other solution to this problem, Trump said Lip-Bu Tan is highly conflicted in an early-morning post on Truth Social. Though the president didnt elaborate on his reasoning, Reuters has previously reported that Tan, either directly or through venture funds, has invested at least $200 million in Chinese manufacturing and chip companies. Intel shares dropped as much as 3.5% before recovering some of those losses. Tan caught the ire of Trump one day after Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, called Tans ties to Chinese firms concerning and questioned the potential impact on U.S. national security in a letter he sent to Frank Yeary, Intels board chair. In his letter, Cotton requested that Yeary respond by next week to questions about Tans ties to Chinese firms and his prior tenure as CEO of Cadence Design Systems, which last month agreed to plead guilty in a past criminal case. He also cited Intels receipt of nearly $8 billion in funding under the CHIPS and Science Act during Joe Bidens presidency last year. Intel is required to be a responsible steward of American taxpayer dollars and to comply with applicable security regulations, Cotton wrote. Mr. Tans associations raise questions about Intels ability to fulfill these obligations. TAN AND TRUMP Tans past investments came under scrutiny following his appointment as Intel’s CEOalthough as a former venture capitalist, the size and scope are perhaps not so unusual. A Reuters investigation found that Tans investments in China were made through Walden International, the venture capital firm he founded in 1987, along with two Hong Kong-based holding companies. Reuters said it found no evidence that Tan was invested directly in any company thats banned by the U.S. Treasurys Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies List. Whats more, Walden International wasnt an anomaly: It was one of five American venture capital firms that were the subject of a congressional investigation last year into investments in Chinas semiconductor industry that have totaled $1 billion since 2001. The other funds on the list were GGV Capital, GSR Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, and Sequoia Capital. But Walden Internationaland Tanmay be out of favor with the Trump administration for other reasons. GGV Capital split its U.S. and China operations into two firms last year, while GSR Ventures did so this year. Qualcomm donated $1 million to a nonprofit that supported Trumps 2024 election bid, while Shaun Maguire, one of Sequoias partners, is a vocal Trump supporter and the firm has ties to David Sacks, the White House AI and crypto czar. As recently as March, Tan said the Trump administration was prepared to help Intel so the U.S. can maintain semiconductor leadershipand he would seek the administrations help, as needed. On Wednesday, Trump threatened a 100% tariff on imported semiconductors and chips, which would actually favor Intel, as it has domestic facilities. Even if information about Tans investments is known, its trickier to track the personal investments of CEOs in foreign companies, as theyre not required to disclose that information unless theres a potential conflict of interest. But sometimes their investments do catch the eye of watchdogs. Last year, for example, Campaign for Accountability, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that runs the Tech Transparency Project, reported that former Google CEO Eric Schmidt had invested nearly $17 million through his private foundation into the Chinese AI industry, even as he was leading the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. INTELS WOES The Santa Clara, California-based company issued a statement in response on Wednesday, saying: Intel and Tan are deeply committed to the national security of the U.S. and the integrity of our role in the U.S. defense ecosystem. The company hasnt responded to Trumps call for Tans immediate resignation, according to reporting by other news outlets. Tan was appointed as CEO of Intel in March, replacing Pat Gelsinger, who was forced out in late 2024 after the board of directors lost confidence in his turnaround plans for the company. In his first few months, Tan has already embarked on an aggressive plan to streamline the organization with more layoffs, to the tune of about 15%. In a July letter to employees about Intel’s second-quarter financial results, Tan said such efforts are steps in the right direction. REACTIONS TO TRUMPS POST On social media, several commenters questioned whether Intel will bend the knee and submit to Trumps call for Tans resignation. Analysts also weighed in about the implications of the presidents post. Unfortunately, unlike other tech CEOs, Lip-Bu does not appear to have cultivated the kind of personal relationship with Trump that would help to assuage his ire, Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon said in a note to clients. And Trumps apparent meddling in corporate leadership could be setting a very unfortunate precedent, Phil Blancato, CEO of Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management (which does not own Intel shares) told Reuters. You don’t want American presidents dictating who runs companies, but certainly his opinion has merit and weight.”
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E-Commerce
Its been a week of wins for Eli Lillys weight-loss drugs. In the company’s second quarter earnings report on Thursday, it reported that sales of Mounjaro, its type-2 diabetes medication often used for weight loss, reached nearly $5.2 billion in revenue, up 68% from the same quarter last year and exceeding analyst estimates of $4.7 billion. Similarly, its weight-loss medication Zepbound reached $3.4 billion in sales, up 172% year-over-year and exceeding estimates of $3 billion. According to Eli Lilly, the company’s market share for the class of drugs that includes Mounjaro and Zepbound increased to 57% during the quarter. Additionally, Mounjaro demonstrated its ability to protect cardiovascular health in trial results announced July 31. And the company also on Thursday announced its oral GLP-1, orforglipron, helped patients lose an average of 27.3 pounds in a phase three clinical trial. These successes, along with high demand for its weight-loss drugs, led Eli Lilly to increase its 2025 guidance. Still, investors are wary of the 148-year-old pharmaceutical company. Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) stock fell over 14% today, dropping to its lowest price in over a year. Meanwhile, Eli Lillys key competitor in the weight-loss sphere, Novo Nordisk, saw its shares surge more than 7%, even after a disappointing earnings report yesterday suggested lower growth expectations as Wegovy and Ozempic face mounting competition from the cheaper Eli Lilly alternatives. The seemingly counterintuitive investor reactions come down to Eli Lillys recent clinical trial testing the efficacy of its oral GLP-1, in a group of 3,127 adults who are obese or overweight and experiencing weight-related medical issues. The drug is effective. At the highest dose, over half of patients in the trial saw at least a 10% reduction in weight and nearly 40% saw at least a 15% reduction. However, investors were hoping for higher levels of weight loss to compete with Novo Nordisks medicationsincluding an oral verson of Wegovy that is up for FDA approval later this year. After Eli Lilly’s trial results were released, David Risinger, an analyst at Leerink Partners, downgraded Eli Lillys stock and changed his expectation for sales of the drug from $21.6 billion to $13.5 billion. In the increasingly crowded and fast-changing weight-loss drug space, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are slated to remain in close competition. Eli Lilly plans to move to a second phase three trial for its oral GLP-1, while Novo Nordisks pill version of Wegovy also continues its path to FDA approval.
Category:
E-Commerce
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