SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies) |
12 Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dec. 31, 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Principles of Consolidation | Principles of Consolidation—The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and subsidiaries over which the Company has control. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basis of Presentation and Accounting Principles | Basis of Presentation—The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) from the Company’s accounting records and reflect the consolidated financial position and results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. Unless otherwise specified, all dollar amounts are referred to in thousands. The Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Accounting Principles—The financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with GAAP. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Use of Estimates | Use of Estimates—The preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes. Significant estimates and assumptions reflected in the Consolidated Financial Statements include, but are not limited to, useful lives of property and equipment, valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, stock-based compensation, common stock valuation, operating lease right-of-use assets and liabilities, capitalization of internally developed software and associated useful lives and contingent liabilities. Actual results may differ materially from such estimates. Management believes that the estimates, and judgments upon which they rely, are reasonable based upon information available to them at the time that these estimates and judgments are made. To the extent that there are material differences between these estimates and actual results, the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements will be affected. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue Recognition | Revenue Recognition—The Company has three predominant sources of revenue; time-based subscriptions, in-app advertising placement by third parties, and the Duolingo English Test. See Footnote 3 for further discussion. Deferred Revenues—Revenue is recognized over the life of the subscription, or in the case of Duolingo English Test, revenue is recognized when the test is proctored. The Company classifies deferred revenue as a short-term liability on the consolidated balance sheets as the longest subscription plan is for twelve months, and Duolingo English Test purchases must be taken within 21 days. Cost of Revenues—Cost of revenue predominantly consists of third-party payment processing fees charged by various distribution channel and hosting fees. To a much lesser extent, includes wages and stock-based compensation for certain employees in the capacity of customer support, amortization of revenue generating capitalized software, and depreciation of certain property and equipment. Deferred Cost of Revenues—Deferred cost of revenue includes third-party payment processing fees amortized over the subscription terms in proportion to the revenue recognized. In situations where fees are charged for subscriptions that exceed one month, costs are deferred and recognized over the life of the subscription and are classified as a current asset. The Company classifies deferred cost of revenue as a short-term asset on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as the longest subscription plan is for twelve months. The Company has three predominant sources of revenues; time-based subscriptions, in-app advertising placement by third parties, and the Duolingo English Test. Revenue is recognized upon transfer of control of promised products or services to users in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for those services. The Company does not enter into contracts with a customer that contain multiple promises that result in multiple performance obligations. Revenue is recorded net of taxes assessed by a government authority that are both imposed on and concurrent with specific revenue transactions between us and our users. Revenue from time-based subscriptions includes a stand-ready obligation to provide hosting services that are consumed by the customer over the subscription period. Users can purchase Duolingo monthly or they can purchase a six-month or year-long subscription and pay for the subscription at the time of purchase. Under the year-long subscription, users can also purchase a single plan or a family plan. The family plan includes up to six users to be on one subscription. Such payments are initially recorded to deferred revenue. The user has the ability to download limited content offline. However, as there is a significant level of integration and interdependency with the online functionality, the Company considers the service to be a single performance obligation for the online and offline content. The Company enters into arrangements with advertising networks to monetize the in-app advertising inventory. Revenue from in-app advertising placement is recognized at a point in time when the advertisement is placed and is based upon the amount received. Duolingo English Test revenue is generally recognized once the tests have gone through the proctoring process and a certification decision has been made. This process usually takes less than 48 hours after the test has been completed and uploaded. Customers have 21 days from the date of purchase to take the exam or their purchase will expire and revenue will be recognized. Virtually all customers complete their exams prior to expiration. Sometimes organizations may purchase tests in bulk via coupons with a one year expiration date. The Company will defer revenue from all tests that haven’t been proctored nor expired. The Company’s users have the option to purchase consumable in-app virtual goods. The Company recognizes revenue over the period in which the user consumes the virtual good, which is generally within a month. Principal Agent Considerations—The Company makes its application available to be downloaded through third-party digital distribution service providers. Users who purchase subscriptions also pay through the respective app stores. The Company evaluates the purchases via third-party payment processors to determine whether its revenues should be reported gross or net of fees retained by the payment processor. The Company is the principal in the transaction with the end user as a result of controlling, hosting, and integrating the delivery of the virtual items to the end user. The Company records revenue gross as a principal and records fees paid to third-party payment processors as Cost of revenues. Contract Balances—Deferred revenue mostly consists of payments we receive in advance of revenue recognition, and is mostly related to time-based subscriptions, which will be recognized into revenue over the course of the upcoming year (recognized over 12 months or less). Additionally, the Duolingo English Test has deferred revenue related to tests that have been purchased, but will not be recognized until the tests have been proctored. Disaggregation of Revenue In accordance with ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, the Company disaggregates revenue from contracts with customers into source of revenue, which most closely depicts how the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors.
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| Deferred Offering Costs | Deferred Offering Costs—Deferred offering costs, which consist of direct incremental legal, accounting, and consulting fees relating to the IPO, are capitalized. Deferred offering costs related to underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses of $4,865 were offset against IPO proceeds upon the consummation of the IPO. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cash and Cash Equivalents | Cash and Cash Equivalents—Cash consists primarily of cash on hand and bank deposits. Cash equivalents consist primarily of money market accounts with maturities of three months or less at the date of acquisition and are stated at cost, which approximates fair value. The Company maintains cash deposits with financial institutions that may exceed federally insured limits at times.The Money market funds are considered Level 1 financial assets. Level 1 financial assets use inputs that are the unadjusted, quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities at the measurement date. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accounts Receivable | Accounts Receivable—Accounts receivables are reported on the consolidated balance sheets at the outstanding principal amount adjusted for any allowance for credit losses and any charge offs. The Company provides an allowance for credit losses to reduce trade receivables to their estimated net realizable value equal to the amount that is expected to be collected. This allowance is estimated based on historical collection experience, the aging of receivables, specific current and expected future macro-economic and market conditions, and assessments of the current creditworthiness and economic status of customers. The Company considers a receivable delinquent if it is unpaid after the term of the related invoice has expired. Balances that are still outstanding after management has used reasonable collection efforts are written off. The Company reviews its allowance for credit losses on a quarterly basis. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Property and Equipment | Property and Equipment—Property and equipment is stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed on the straight-line method.
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| Capitalized software | Capitalized software—The Company develops software for internal use and capitalizes the software development costs incurred during the application development stage. Costs incurred prior to and after the application development stage are charged to expense. When the software is ready for its intended use, capitalization ceases and such costs are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated life, which is generally three years. Relatively minor upgrades, enhancements and maintenance to the platform are expensed as incurred. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Income Taxes | Income Taxes—The Company provides for income taxes in accordance with the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for future tax consequences attributable to differences between the carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities for financial reporting and for income tax reporting. The deferred tax asset or liability represents the future tax return consequences of those difference, which will either be taxable or deductible when the assets and liabilities are recovered or settled. A valuation allowance is established for any deferred tax asset for which it is determined that it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The Company limits the deferred tax assets recognized related to certain officers’ compensation to amounts that it estimates will be deductible in future periods based upon Internal Revenue Code Section 162(m). The Company utilizes a two-step approach to recognizing and measuring uncertain tax positions accounted for in accordance with the asset and liability method. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining whether evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that a position will be sustained if examined by a taxing authority. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is 50% likely of being realized upon settlement with a tax authority. There were no amounts recorded at December 31, 2021 and 2020 related to uncertain tax positions.
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| Foreign Currency | Foreign Currency—The functional currency of the Company and its subsidiaries is the United States dollar. Transactions denominated in currencies other than the functional currency are translated into the functional currency at the exchange rates prevailing at the dates of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated using the exchange rate prevailing at the balance sheet date. Non-monetary assets and liabilities are translated using the historical rate on the date of the transaction. All exchange gains or losses arising from translation of these foreign currency transactions are included in net loss for the year. The Company has not, to the date of these consolidated financial statements, entered into derivative instruments to offset the impact of foreign currency fluctuations | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fair Value of Financial Instruments | Fair Value of Financial Instruments—The Company accounts for certain assets and liabilities at fair value in accordance with the accounting guidance applicable to fair value measurements and disclosures. The carrying values of cash, cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and accrued expenses are deemed to be reasonable estimates of their fair values because of their short-term nature. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Research and Development Costs | Research and Development Costs—Research and development expenses are incurred as the Company maintains and enhances its software and evaluates and develops other potential applications. Such expenses include compensation of engineering, product design and testing personnel, including stock-based compensation, materials, travel and direct costs associated with the design and required testing of our platform and depreciation of certain property and equipment. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and Marketing | Sales and Marketing—Sales and marketing expenses are expensed as incurred and consists primarily of brand advertising, marketing, digital and social media spend, field marketing, travel, trade show sponsorships and events, conferences and other employee related compensation, including stock-based compensation for personnel engaged in sales and marketing functions, amortization of non-revenue generating capitalized software used to promote Duolingo, and depreciation of certain property and equipment. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General and Administrative | General and Administrative—General and administrative expense primarily consists of employee related compensation (including stock-based compensation) for management and administrative functions, including our finance and accounting, legal, and people teams. General and administrative expense also includes certain professional services fees, general corporate and director and officer insurance, facilities costs, and other general overhead costs that support our operations, and depreciation of certain property and equipment. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Contributors | Contributors—On March 10, 2021, the Company announced that it was ending its non-employee volunteer program, which began in 2013 to build and improve language courses. As part of this change, those contributors who participated in the program became eligible to receive a one-time award, up to an aggregate amount of approximately $4,220, including fees paid to process payments of approximately $526. The Company accounted for this under Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codifications (“ASC”) 958-720, Not-For-Profit Entities - Other Expenses and ASC 720-25, Contributions Made, based on the nature of this contribution, which is an unconditional promise. This amount is included within Sales and marketing in the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Concentration of Credit Risk | Concentration of Credit Risk—The Company’s concentration of credit risk relates to financial institutions holding the Company’s cash and cash equivalents and platforms with significant accounts receivable balances and revenue transactions. The Company maintains cash deposits with financial institutions that may exceed federally insured limits at times. Management believes that the financial institutions that hold the Company’s deposits are financially credit worthy and, accordingly, minimal credit risk exists with respect to those balances.
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| Stock-Based Compensation | Stock-Based Compensation—The Company accounts for equity-based compensation using the fair value method as set forth in the ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation, which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all stock-based payment awards based on estimated fair values. This method requires companies to estimate the fair value of stock-based compensation on the date of grant using an option pricing model. The Company estimates the fair value of each equity-based payment award on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes pricing model. The Black-Scholes model determines the fair value of equity-based payment awards based on the fair value of the underlying common stock on the date of grant and requires the use of estimates and assumptions, including the fair value of the Company’s common stock, exercise price of the stock option, expected volatility, expected life, risk-free interest rate and dividend rate. The Company estimates the expected volatility of its stock options by taking the average historical volatility of a group of comparable publicly traded companies over a period equal to the expected life of the options; it is not practical for the Company to estimate its own volatility due to the lack of historical prices. The expected term of the options is determined in accordance with existing equity agreements as the underlying options are assumed to be exercised upon the passage of time. The risk-free interest rate is the estimated average interest rate based on US Treasury zero-coupon notes with terms consistent with the expected life of the awards. The expected dividend yield is zero as the Company does not anticipate paying any recurring cash dividends in the foreseeable future. The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur. Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) The Company began to grant RSUs in November 2020. The fair value of RSUs is estimated based on the fair value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. Each RSU award granted prior to the IPO vests based upon the satisfaction, during the term of the RSUs, of two requirements: length of service and a liquidity event defined as a change in control or a qualified IPO. The service-based vesting condition for the majority of these awards is satisfied over four years. The liquidity-based vesting condition is satisfied upon the occurrence of a qualifying liquidity event. The Company measures and recognizes compensation expense for all stock-based awards based on the estimated fair value of the award. Prior to July 30, 2021, no stock-based compensation expense had been recognized for RSUs because the liquidity-based vesting condition had not been probable of being satisfied. Upon the IPO, the liquidity- based vesting condition was satisfied and $2,035 of stock-based compensation expense was recognized related to these awards during the year ended December 31, 2021. Of that amount, $1,332, $210 and $493 was included within Research and development, Sales and marketing and General and administrative, respectively, in the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss. Performance-based RSUs In June 2021, the Company granted 1,800 (one million eight-hundred thousand) performance-based RSUs to the Company’s founders (“Founder Awards”). The Founder Awards are divided into ten equal tranches with each tranche becoming eligible to vest upon achievement of the specified stock-price hurdles. The Founder Awards vest upon the satisfaction of both a service-based condition and a performance-based condition and generally are settled one year after vesting. The service-based condition is satisfied as to 25% of the Founder Awards on each anniversary of the completion of the IPO, subject to the continuous service of the founders through the applicable date. The fair value of the Founder Awards is determined using a Monte Carlo simulation model. The associated stock-based compensation is recorded over the derived service period, using the accelerated attribution method. If the stock-price hurdles are met sooner than the requisite service period, the stock-based compensation expense will be adjusted to prospectively recognize the remaining expense over the remaining derived service period. Provided that the founders continue to provide services to us, stock-based compensation expense is recognized over the derived service period, regardless of whether the stock-price hurdles are achieved. The first and second tranches were met during the year ended December 31, 2021.
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| Contingencies | Contingencies—The Company records accruals for contingencies and legal proceedings expected to be incurred in connection with a loss contingency when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated. If a loss contingency is not probable, but is reasonably possible, or is probable but cannot be estimated, the nature of the contingent liability, together with an estimate of the range of possible loss, would be disclosed.
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| Segment | Segment—The Company operates as a single operating segment. The chief operating decision maker of the Company is its Chief Executive Officer, who makes resource allocation decisions and assesses performance based on financial information presented on a consolidated basis, accompanied by disaggregated information of our revenue. Accordingly, the Company has determined that it has a single reportable segment and operating segment structure, and operates as one reporting unit. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leases | Leases—The Company accounts for leases in accordance with ASC 842, Leases, which requires virtually all leases, other than leases that meet the definition of a short-term lease, to be recorded on the balance sheet with a right-of-use (“ROU”) asset and corresponding lease liability. ROU assets are periodically reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances arise. During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company incurred no impairment charges on ROU assets. On the lease commencement date, each lease is classified as either finance or operating, depending on certain criteria. The Company determined that it only has operating leases as none of the criteria for finance lease classification were met. Operating lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis on the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss in General and administrative expenses. On the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Cash Flows, payments for operating leases, including the interest component, are included in operating activities. As an accounting policy election, the Company has elected to not separate lease and non-lease components for all asset classes and made an accounting policy election for short-term leases which does not require the capitalization of leases with terms of 12 months or less at lease commencement. The discount rate utilized in calculating the lease liability is the rate implicit in the lease, if known; otherwise, the incremental borrowing rate (“IBR”) for the expected lease term is used. The Company’s IBR approximates the rate the Company would have to pay, on a collateralized basis, to borrow an amount equal to the lease payments under similar terms.
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| Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements | Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In August 2018, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) No. 2018-15, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That is a Service Contract (ASU 2018-15). ASU 2018-15 aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2021 and it did not have a material impact on its Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures upon adoption. In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, which simplifies the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions and by clarifying and amending existing guidance in order to improve consistent application of and simplify GAAP for other areas of Topic 740. The guidance will be effective for the Company beginning after December 15, 2020. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2021 and it did not have a material impact on its Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures upon adoption.
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