🚣 Float into Tuesday.

• On this day in 1829, the western section of the Pennsylvania Canal was completed and the first boat entered Pittsburgh.

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny, high near 64.

🎧 Sounds like: "Dress Blues," by Jason Isbell.

🇺🇸 Programming note: We'll be off tomorrow in observance of Veterans Day.

• To all veterans, thank you for your service. We'll see you Thursday.

Today’s newsletter is 984 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Duolingo's Pittsburgh employees are together under one roof at a new East Liberty headquarters three years in the making.

Why it matters: Duolingo is doubling its Pittsburgh footprint — embracing in-person work and keeping its global headquarters in the city where it grew into a multibillion-dollar tech firm.

The big picture: The company is moving its roughly 400 Pittsburgh workers from its longtime headquarters at 5900 Penn Ave. to Liberty East at 141 S. St. Clair St., a mixed-use development anchored by Whole Foods on the former Penn Plaza site across the street.

Zoom in: Sean Devlin, Duolingo's head of global real estate strategy, tells Axios the company designed the nearly 150,000-square-foot, four-floor office to accommodate different work styles and neurodiverse employees.

• It has expanded open office areas, added more conference rooms and private work nooks, plus a library, bookable meditation rooms and spaces for new parents.
• Large windows, greenery, a full-service kitchen and spacious dining areas and outdoor patios round it out.

Duolingo's brand is in the details, from streak-shaped light fixtures and artwork featuring its owl mascot, Duo, to framed news clippings chronicling company milestones and conference rooms named after languages offered on its free learning app.

• A skylit auditorium seats 200 for company "parliament" meetings — a nod to the collective name for a group of owls.

Follow the money: Devlin called the project a "significant spend" in the tens of millions but did not give a full investment figure.

• SEC filings show Duolingo signed a 10-year lease for the expanded office that runs through early 2036.

Duo's Taqueria, the popular Mexican restaurant on the ground floor of Duolingo's former headquarters, will stay in its current location, Devlin says, with hopes of expanding its footprint in the future.

Context: Employees previously worked across two locations: the Penn Avenue office and one floor of Liberty East as the firm expanded.

What they're saying: Duolingo chief people officer Debica Bhattacharya tells Axios the company believes employees do their best work in person. They're in the office four days a week, up from three last year.

• The new space has room to accommodate more employees as needed but, she says, "we're very conservative in terms of how we grow headcount."

The bottom line: Pittsburgh "is the cultural epicenter of our company," says Bhattacharya. "We don't intend to ever leave."

More photos here

The city may have hope of filling its budget shortfall thanks to Democrats' massive midterm victory, Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor said yesterday.

Why it matters: The city's financial problems are carrying into 2027 despite this year's property tax increase, forcing the city to cut pension funding, freeze other spending and tap its rainy day fund.

Driving the news: O'Connor said 2027's proposed $872 million budget — $727 million in operating funds and $145 million in capital spending — won't raise taxes.

What they're saying: Democrats' new control in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C., gives O'Connor confidence that more money will be available for housing and infrastructure in Pittsburgh.

• "It will allow us to do things in this city we have not done in over 30 years, working with Harrisburg and D.C. to secure investment, opportunity, and lasting change."
• Democrats have not held a trifecta in Pennsylvania's state government since 1993.

Yes, but: New funding is not available now, and he's proposed depleting the city's rainy day fund by $28 million next year to keep services afloat.

• He's hopeful the city's finances will stabilize by 2029.

Follow the money

💵 Amazon Web Services is committing $600,000 a year in AWS technology credits to veteran entrepreneurs who have started defense, health care, robotics, fintech and consumer products businesses, the company announced yesterday in Pittsburgh. (Press release)

👓 Meta trained blind veterans in Pittsburgh how to use new Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses the company donated to them yesterday. It's part of a larger effort to provide 130,000 Meta AI glasses to every blind veteran in America. (Meta)

🛑 Sen. Dave McCormick is calling for a delay in today's Senate GOP leadership elections following Republicans' devastating midterm defeat. (Axios)

🏈 The Steelers game against the Eagles in Philadelphia on Nov. 22 has been moved to 1pm. (X)

Rapper Wiz Khalifa is putting his ink on Chipotle's to-go bags in a Friday the 13th deal for Pittsburgh customers who show off their own tattoos.

The big picture: Playing on the viral "tatted like a Chipotle bag" meme, the Pittsburgh native teamed up with the chain to design limited-edition bags inspired by his tattoos.

How it works: Customers with real, temporary or drawn-on tattoos can snag a buy-one-get-one-free entrée and a signed bag at Chipotle's Oakland location, 3510 Forbes Ave., from 3pm-4pm on Nov. 13 while supplies last.

• One bag per person.

The bottom line: The collaboration coincides with Friday's release of Wiz Khalifa's new album, "COOL."

Context

Duo's brunch shouldn't be overlooked.

The intrigue: The menu moves beyond standard Tex-Mex fare and into inventive and lesser-explored flavors from south of the border.

Dig in: The tamal de calabaza ($12) has masa made with koginut squash. It's stuffed with queso and surrounded by almond salsa relajo.

• It's smoky, nutty, and finishes with a serious spicy kick.

If you go: 5906 Penn Ave., East Liberty

• Brunch hours are Friday-Sunday 10am-2pm.

🥑 Chrissy needs to finally try Duo's.

🎖️ Ryan thinks Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard is a good place to give if you are looking for local veterans charities.

Thanks to Chloe Gonzales for editing this newsletter.