Death of Duolingo

On February 11th, the world was hit with the devastating news that the beloved Duolingo owl, Duo, had died. Duolingo shared in a statement to their social media accounts “It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formerly known as the Duolingo Owl, has died.” It was later revealed that Duo was killed in a tragic Cybertruck strike. Since his death, the Duolingo account has posted videos asking users to share their credit card information in mourning, as well as video footage of Duo’s funeral. Duolingo has always maintained a chaotic social media presence, but why would they kill off their beloved mascot who has brought them so much popularity? We are all dealing with enough, why put us through the murder of an innocent owl? As I have laid awake at night pondering the loss of the beloved Duo, I have come up with some possible explanations for this tragedy. 

1. Duo will come back with a new look 

The most obvious reason for Duo’s death is that the company wants to rebrand with a new bird leading the charge. Maybe they will introduce a Duo Jr? When TikTok was set to go dark last month, the brand also revealed who was supposedly playing Duo all this time. Maybe they felt that after revealing the person behind the mask, Duo had to be reborn.

2. Encouraging people to use the app 

The app has already teased challenges where users can do lessons to “revive Duo.” Maybe they will use his death to inspire people to do their daily lesson and save Duo. I have to say, I still haven’t opened Duolingo in over a month so this strategy might not be super effective. 

3. Just to get attention 

In a world where nobody’s attention span is more than 2 minutes long, it makes sense that the company is looking for ways to keep Gen Z engaged with their content. I’m barely a Duolingo user, but I have to admit I have been checking the account when I go on TikTok to see if they have revealed any new information about Duo’s death. Not only has Duolingo’s death been viewed and shared by many, but other major brands have also jumped on the trend by killing their own mascots or sharing their own theories for Duo’s death.  It makes sense that some Gen Z intern would propose murdering Duo with a Cybertruck just for the views. Honestly, it seems to be working. 

4. A sinister plot? 

Duolingo openly supports LGBTQ+ rights and has spoken about their DEI efforts. We all know who makes Cybertrucks. Perhaps something more sinister is going on here…. 

Only time will tell what really happened to Duo and what the company plans to do next. We can only hope that he and Jorge are together in bird Heaven. 

• life
• social media