(NEW YORK, Sept 1, 2026) Forum will host a live Roundtable on Sept. 9 with Benjamin Dresser, director of strategy and corporate development at Duolingo, and Jen Judd, Animade co-founder and former managing director, now head of Duolingo Creative Studio, for a conversation about Duolingo’s recent acquisition of the London animation studio and the decisions that brought the two companies together.
Hosted by creative business advisor and Forum founder Joel Pilger, “Duolingo Just Bought Animade. Why?” will bring perspectives from both sides of the acquisition to a discussion of why Duolingo chose to bring Animade’s creative capabilities inside the company and what the decision could mean for independent creative studios navigating a rapidly changing industry.
Duolingo announced its acquisition of Animade in August, bringing the studio’s animation and design team in-house after years of collaboration between the two companies. In announcing the deal, Duolingo positioned motion design as a core part of its product experience and the acquisition as an investment in the creative talent and capabilities behind it.
The decision comes as artificial intelligence is changing how creative work is produced and companies continue to reassess what capabilities should live in-house. For creative founders, the acquisition raises a larger question: What makes a creative company’s expertise valuable enough that a global technology company decides it wants that capability inside the business?
“Every creative founder is asking some version of the same question right now: What makes my creative company valuable as execution gets faster and more accessible?” Pilger said. “Duolingo’s decision to bring Animade inside the company gives us a fascinating real-world answer. What did Duolingo see that was worth owning rather than simply continuing to hire? And more importantly for the rest of us: what decisions can founders make today that increase the value of the company they’re building?”
The live Forum Roundtable will take place Wednesday, Sept. 9, at noon EDT via Zoom. Those interested can register here.
Event: Duolingo Just Bought Animade. Why?
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026
Time: Noon EDT
Format: Live online Forum Roundtable
Host: Joel Pilger
Guests: Benjamin Dresser, Duolingo; Jen Judd, Animade
