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The head of the language learning app Duolingo has stated that drivers are compensated to secretly evaluate job candidates during their commute to interviews.

Drivers provide feedback on how the candidate communicates during the ‘taxi test,’ which influences the hiring choice.

Chief executive Luis von Ahn stated: ‘A part of the interview for us is how they treated their driver.’

Our conviction is that if they are going to be rude to their driver, they are likely to treat others similarly, especially those beneath them, so we didn’t want that.

Mr. von Ahn mentioned to The Burnouts podcast that a candidate for the position of chief financial officer at the company was “very well-liked” during the interview and possessed an outstanding resume.

Nevertheless, they were not hired for the position because “it turned out they were quite harsh towards their driver from the airport to the office, which made us decide against hiring them.”

The billionaire CEO mentioned during the interview that it’s crucial to hire the right individual for the role, as the company has focused on artificial intelligence, adding that he had replaced temporary workers with the technology last April.

However, last June he stated that although AI will not take over jobs, workers will need to change how they perform their tasks.

In a LinkedIn update, Mr. von Ahn mentioned that the technology will “radically transform how we work—and we need to stay in front of it.”

He stated: “To be clear: I don’t view AI as taking over the roles our employees currently perform (we are actually maintaining the same hiring pace as before).”

I view it as a means to speed up our current processes, maintaining or improving the quality. The quicker we master its use and apply it ethically, the more beneficial it will be for us in the future.

Commenting on the unconventional recruitment approach used by the Duolingo chief executive, a taxi driver union leader stated that the test was a positive idea — as cab drivers are consistently able to ‘quickly sense a person’s character’.

Steve McNamara, the general secretary of the UK’s Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, statedThe TimesIt is assumed that they might feel somewhat nervous and anxious, as most people do during an interview. However, if you aren’t pleasant under stress, and you will likely experience a lot of stress in some of these high-level positions, then perhaps the job isn’t suitable for you.

He mentioned that applicants tend to be more truthful with taxi drivers compared to their prospective employers during job interviews.

“We used to refer to the taxi as a confessional booth. Individuals share details in a taxi that they wouldn’t reveal to a stranger in everyday situations, or to anyone else,” Mr. McNamara mentioned.

So you’ll step into my taxi, and I’ll soon find out that you’ve had enough of your wife and are considering running away with the nanny.

The Daily Mail has contacted Duolingo for additional information.

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