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Students Will No Longer Be Taught By Teachers | Joleen Liang

Apr 15, 2026 · 46:16

Joleen Liang, co-founder of Squirrel AI, explains how its LAM engine—powered by over 20 billion learning behavior data points—replaces traditional teachers by handling 100% of knowledge transfer, turning instructors into data analysts and psychologists. She details how the Chinese Double Reduction policy in 2021 slashed revenue from $300 million to zero overnight, forcing a pivot to a hardware-integrated smart tablet and leading 80% of franchisees to convert $160 million in debt into company stock. The company now expands into the US with self-study centers and plans to introduce physical AI robot teachers within five years, while arguing that generic LLMs cannot deliver truly personalized education. Liang also shares how the co-founders maintained belief through the crisis, prioritizing health and exercise, and advises founders not to underestimate their abilities.

The Brutal $1.2B Unicorn Reality

Feb 22, 2026 · 47:43

Kirill Bigai, founder of Preply, argues that the company's $1.2 billion unicorn valuation is a discipline story, not a success story, built on lean operations and unit economics. He recounts launching with a concierge MVP—a single landing page and manual tutor matching on Skype—while living with five co-founders in one house without salaries. To scale, Preply focused on SEO and SEM to acquire both learners and tutors, achieving ROI-positive results. During the war in Ukraine, the company took responsibility for evacuating 150 employees from Kyiv, fostering unity and resilience. Bigai envisions a 'human-first, AI-enabled' future where AI acts as a co-pilot for tutors, automating homework and improving learner-tutor matching.