Smash Notes
Why Did Luis von Ahn Start Duolingo · From Scratch with Jessica Harris

From Scratch with Jessica Harris

Luis von Ahn - Founder of Recaptcha and Duolingo

Luis is an inventor and computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon. He is one of the creators of CAPTCHA, a system that allows websites to determine whether you’re a human or a computer. CAPTCHAs are wavy, distorted words that people need to type out when they’re submitting a form to a website. Luis’ company ReCAPTCHA […]

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Notes

  1. Who Invented Captcha at 2:30

    At some point, Luis found out that Yahoo had a problem with spammers who were abusing their systems and Yahoo had no way to stop them. Full answer

  2. What Are Games With Purpose at 6:03

    These are games that humans play willingly and in the process help computers to solve problems that computers cannot solve otherwise. Full answer

  3. Did Captcha Ever Make Any Money at 8:25

    First, Luis was not making any money of captchas. He was just an academic, happy that someone was actually using his creation. Full answer

  4. Why Did Luis von Ahn Start Duolingo at 13:58

    Luis is originally from Guatemala, a very poor country where rich people are able to afford the best education, while poor struggle to get any. Full answer

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