Sean Devlin – Duolingo

Duolingo’s mission is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. By creating the most engaging and accessible education platform, the company has built a bridge that helps millions transcend cultural and linguistic divides. That same spirit of connection resonates internally, inspiring how Duolingo fosters collaboration, inclusivity, and creativity among its employees.

Sean Devlin, vice president of global workplace and real estate development, is at the forefront of this effort. Since joining the company in May 2023, Devlin has been tasked with crafting physical spaces that embody Duolingo’s quirky, vibrant culture while empowering employees—known as “Duos”—to thrive.

“Our team is focused on driving energetic workspaces and programs that provide joy for our Duos,” he said. “We experiment and adjust as needed because our Duos’ needs change, as well. Our team does a great job remaining flexible and attentive to our goals.”

Duolingo is an education technology company with a bold vision: to make language learning accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or resources. It is the most downloaded education app in the App Store’s history and, in 2019, became the top-grossing education app worldwide.

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, the company is known for its playful green owl mascot, Duo, and its gamified approach to learning. Every decision at Duolingo revolves around accessibility, engagement, and inclusivity—principles that guide its products and workspaces.

Finding his way

Devlin’s path to Duolingo was anything but conventional. A journalism graduate from the University of Richmond, Devlin began his career with dreams of storytelling. The skills he honed in journalism—listening deeply, asking thoughtful questions, and connecting with diverse perspectives—formed the foundation of his leadership style. After moving to Los Angeles, he pivoted from writing to facilities management. He started in Disney’s mailroom and eventually held significant roles in workplace operations at Fortune 100 companies such as Disney ABC Television Group, Google and Netflix. Across these roles, Devlin developed a reputation as a service-minded team player who could creatively solve problems while balancing the needs of large, dynamic organizations.

By 2023, Devlin was ready for a new challenge. Though he cherished his time at larger corporations, he craved the opportunity to make a more profound impact. Duolingo offered that chance—a founder-led company where he could influence strategy while leveraging his expertise to shape spaces that reflected a distinctive culture. For Devlin, the decision was rooted in alignment: ensuring that Duolingo’s internal environment mirrored its external mission.

At Duolingo, Devlin oversees global real estate strategy, focusing on designing workspaces that entice employees to return to the office, a challenge companies worldwide face after the COVID-19 pandemic. Devlin firmly believes that employees won’t feel motivated to come in if workplaces are not thoughtfully designed.

After the pandemic, Duolingo moved away from co-working spaces to establish offices that accurately represent its brand, culture, and vision. Each new space emphasizes inclusivity, functionality, and creativity, ensuring employees feel supported and inspired.

Supporting the workforce, supporting the mission

One of Devlin’s proudest achievements thus far has been opening Duolingo’s new office at 4 World Trade Center in New York City. Completed in late 2024, this space is a testament to Duolingo’s commitment to inclusivity and innovation. Designed with neurodiversity in mind, it features a variety of work environments, including hands-on modular workshop areas and quiet, library-inspired rooms for focused work. The location within the World Trade Center reflects Duolingo’s global aspirations. Employees can see landmarks like the Statue of Liberty from its windows, which underscores the company’s mission to connect people worldwide through language and learning.

The New York office also serves as a laboratory for Duolingo’s upcoming Pittsburgh headquarters, scheduled for completion in 2026. Devlin and his team are using the New York space to experiment and gather feedback, applying lessons learned to ensure Pittsburgh’s new headquarters meets the needs of a growing, dynamic workforce.

“The Pittsburgh project is significant, as it will consolidate Duolingo’s local employees under one roof. This new space will reinforce Pittsburgh as the company’s global headquarters and exemplify Duolingo’s values of inclusivity, accessibility and innovation,” Devlin explains.

Beyond these flagship projects, Devlin is spearheading the development of smaller offices in cities like Detroit, Seattle and Beijing. These spaces balance Duolingo’s global brand identity with local cultural elements, fostering a sense of connection to the surrounding communities.

“By collaborating with Duolingo’s social impact and employee experience teams, we ensure that each office reflects the company’s mission to have a positive impact inside and outside its walls,” he says.

Leading and developing

A defining aspect of Devlin’s leadership style is his commitment to feedback. At Duolingo, workplace strategy is not a top-down process; it’s iterative and inclusive. Bi-annual engagement surveys and monthly conversations with the company’s founders provide valuable insights that shape decisions about workspace design and functionality.

For example, after opening the New York office, Devlin’s team adjusted dining areas based on employee input. This willingness to adapt and enhance ensures that Duolingo’s spaces remain responsive to its employees’ needs.

One of Devlin’s goals is to create “living labs” within Duolingo’s offices—spaces that continually evolve based on real-world usage and feedback. This approach involves testing new technologies, reimagining conference rooms, and exploring ways to foster collaboration and engagement. For Devlin, the work doesn’t stop once a space is opened.

“If something doesn’t hit the mark, we’re not afraid to pivot midstream,” he says. “Our team is flexible, creative, and committed to finding solutions that work.”

Duolingo’s commitment to inclusivity extends beyond its physical spaces. Internally, the company fosters a culture of connection through employee resource groups, clubs, and initiatives that bring people together. Workplace roles are front and center in these efforts, ensuring employees feel heard and supported. In 2025, Devlin’s team plans to introduce new tools for measuring workplace satisfaction, including Slack engagement metrics and emoji-based feedback. These innovations align with Duolingo’s belief that a company’s internal culture must mirror its external mission to succeed.

Devlin’s background in journalism continues to influence his approach to leadership. He views his role as both a strategist and a storyteller, listening carefully to employees and translating their needs into actionable designs by the team. Whether reimagining a dining room or creating a quiet space for focused work, Devlin sees every project as an opportunity to tell the story of Duolingo’s mission and culture through its spaces.

Devlin is excited about further opportunities to align Duolingo’s physical environments with its mission. From refining hybrid work policies to finalizing Pittsburgh’s headquarters and expanding global offices, his vision is clear: to create spaces that inspire connection, creativity, and inclusivity. For Devlin, success is more than just designing functional offices—it’s about creating environments that make employees feel valued, supported, and connected to something greater.

“When you walk into one of our offices, you should feel our mission, culture, and commitment to connection,” Devlin says. “It’s not just about where we work; it’s about how our spaces make us feel and what they enable us to achieve.”

Under Devlin’s leadership, Duolingo’s workspaces are becoming more than places to work. They are physical manifestations of the company’s mission to connect, teach, and inspire—a vision that resonates from the desks of Pittsburgh to the skyline of New York City and beyond.