What you can really learn from DuoLingo

A few days ago the Duolingo stock price jumped. It's almost 30% higher than where it was last week. Why?

Having helped over 500 million people learn languages, they've decided now they're going to teach Music and Maths too!

But that's not the reason the price escalated.

It's not because of the product, it's because of the ambition.

They've told us they're not sitting comfortably on their hands, having already dominated a market. They've told us they will now move to conquer more areas.

Online education is a competitive market. But we already know that DuoLingo is on another level, and we can have some confidence that their ambition is not unrealistic.

Why does this matter to you?

It's an example. Ambition is worth something.

Know when you've conquered your niche. If you're in Sales, know when you've reached your peak and move on to another skill. If you're in tech, know when you're at the top in the area and diversify. Skill combinations are what will give you the advantage.

As an example, I reached my peak playing guitar about 10 years ago, so I diversified and learned how to sing. The combination has been a million times more effective and offered more enjoyment than a single skill could give me.

In the words of the great Steve Jobs--

"Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish."