Duolingo faces increasing competitive pressure from Alphabet's Google, which is leveraging its advanced AI capabilities to challenge Duolingo's language learning platform. Duolingo's premium offering, Duolingo Max, which incorporates OpenAI's GPT-4 technology, has been criticized for its high operational costs that have already reduced profit margins by 300 basis points. With Google's entry into the AI-driven language education market, Duolingo is expected to incur higher costs for AI tokens under less favorable terms, further compressing margins. Market analysts have expressed concerns about Duolingo's current valuation, suggesting it is priced more for optimistic future growth than realistic profitability, and warn that the company's scalable software-as-a-service model may not withstand intensifying competition. The situation has led to apprehension about Duolingo's financial outlook and competitive position in the ed tech sector.