# Mobile Growth Nightmares Podcast #2 featuring stories from Duolingo, Hopper, and Tubi TV

- Link: https://phiture.com/mobilegrowthstack/mobile-growth-nightmares-podcast-2-4cdffd0053d8/
- Published: 2018-07-19T10:48:42+01:00
- Author: Andy Carvell

![Mobile Growth Nightmares Podcast #2 featuring stories from Duolingo, Hopper, and
Tubi TV ](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Mobile-Growth-Nightmares-
Podcast-2-featuring-stories-from-Duolingo-Hopper-and-Tubi-TV-min.jpeg)

In this episode, recorded on the road during [MAU Las Vegas](https://mau.grow.co/),
Gessica Bicego and I talk to three growth experts about some of the darkest moments
in their careers.

[Episode #2 is live now on iTunes](https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/mgn-2-duolingo-hopper-tubi-tv-spine-tingling-tales/id1375809236?i=1000416178996&l=en&mt=2)

and on [SoundCloud](https://soundcloud.com/mgnpodcast/mgn-2-duolingo-hopper-tubi-tv-spine-tingling-tales-from-mau-2018)

_Note: Due to the nature of recording on the go, the sound quality isn’t as great
as usual, but the content itself makes up for it!_

[Prachi Snehal](https://www.linkedin.com/in/prachisnehal/) from Tubi TV, [Cem Kansu](https://twitter.com/cemkansu)
from Duolingo, and [Simon Lejeune](https://twitter.com/lejeunesimon) from Hopper
are not afraid to go back and revisit [their biggest mobile growth nightmares.](https://soundcloud.com/mgnpodcast/mgn-2-duolingo-hopper-tubi-tv-spine-tingling-tales-from-mau-2018)

First up on this episode is Cem Kansu (Twitter: [@cemkansu](https://twitter.com/cemkansu)),
Senior Product Manager at [Duolingo](https://www.duolingo.com/). Cem is the Senior
Product Manager (Monetization) at Duolingo, where he leads revenue products including
Duolingo Plus, a la carte purchases, and advertising.

⌊Cem Kansu, Senior Product Manager at Duolingo⌉⌊Cem Kansu, Senior Product Manager
at Duolingo⌉

_Learn how Cem found out the hard way that avatars were not a great idea for Duolingo,
and how difficult it turned out to kill them because of the fallacy of sunken cost._

Up next is Simon Lejeune (Twitter: [@lejeunesimon](https://www.twitter.com/lejeunesimon)),
head of user acquisition at [Hopper](http://www.hopper.com/). Hopper is the #1 most
installed travel booking app in the US. With a strong focus on automation and prioritization,
Simon has built a small technical team that is able to execute hyper targeted campaigns
at scale across the largest UA channels. Prior to that, Simon was the marketing 
director at [Busbud](http://www.busbud.com/), the now-largest bus travel booking
website in the world, where his team won multiple awards for their SEO & SEM strategies.

⌊Simon Lejeune, head of user acquisition at Hopper⌉⌊Simon Lejeune, head of user 
acquisition at Hopper⌉

_Simon shares his experience on a re-targeting test that seemed too good to be true—
until it was._

Last but not least, we hear from Prachi (Twitter: [@PsnehalP](https://twitter.com/PSnehalP)),
Lead Product Manager, Mobile + Growth at [Tubi.tv](http://www.tubi.tv/). Prachi 
is a Senior Product Manager with a history of working in hi-tech industry as product,
marketing and growth professional. Skilled in everything data, Mobile Products, 
Streaming Media, Growth Strategy, and Consulting. Engineer with a Master of Business
Administration (MBA) from Columbia Business School.

⌊Prachi, Lead Product Manager⌉⌊Prachi, Lead Product Manager⌉

_If you’re doing anything with deep links, be careful: a flawed deep linking schema
can ruin your birthday, as it did in Prachi’s story._

All this, and more, in the [latest episode of Mobile Growth Nightmares](https://soundcloud.com/mgnpodcast/mgn-2-duolingo-hopper-tubi-tv-spine-tingling-tales-from-mau-2018)…

Would you like to share your own Mobile Growth Nightmare? Please leave a comment
or email us at ‘hello@mgnpodcast.com’