The Spire

Alexandra Berardelli ‘25

Chief Opinions Editor 

By the time you’re reading this, Marcus Williams ‘25 and I (hopefully) will have completed over two weeks of a friend streak on Duolingo. Our motivation? The death of Duo. 

If you’ve been living under a rock, Duo (formerly Duo Keyshauna Renee Lingo) was the official mascot of Duolingo, the language learning app. Despite the ridiculous number of advertisement breaks, Marcus and I have remained consistent in our language pursuits, learning Japanese and French, respectively. Now, Duo and his threats of streak-breaking have reached all new heights, with Duolingo’s team killing off its mascot. 

To be completely honest, I have absolutely no idea what is happening. But, even in these early stages, this has got to be one of the best PR stunts ever. Since Duo was allegedly killed in a hit-and-run accident by a speeding Tesla Cybertruck in a parking lot, I have been unable to escape the posts mourning his death. 

On Feb. 11, in a sorrowful Instagram post, Duolingo’s team posted: “It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formally known as The Duolingo Owl, is dead. Authorities are currently investigating his cause of death and we are cooperating fully. Tbh, he probably died waiting for you to do your lesson, but what do we know. We’re aware he had many enemies, but we kindly ask that you refrain from sharing why you hate him in the comments. If you feel inclined to share, please also include your credit card number so we can automatically sign you up for Duolingo Max in his memory. We appreciate you respecting Dua Lipa’s privacy at this time.” Since then, all the posts from Duolingo (in every language) have revolved around the death of the Owl. But, somehow, from his grave, Duo pushes us to keep our streak on. 

What does this all mean? Why is this such a good PR stunt? I cannot accurately answer the first question. It goes above mere attention-seeking; there ought to be some intention of profit-benefit for Duolingo Max. Still, they are putting out hilarious content. It has undoubtedly generated tremendous online conversation and engagement, both by users and other brands and celebrities, by playing on everyone’s emotional connection to Duo. 

Duolingo seems to hope its users will “revive” Duo by completing their language lessons, keeping up with their streaks, and purchasing subscriptions to Duolingo Max. As many might agree, I do not find Duolingo to be an inclusive language-learning platform. It is, perhaps, a sufficient introduction to how a language (kind of) operates, but it lacks depth and has limited exposure. Nevertheless, the death of Duo has everybody talking about Duolingo. 

For now, Marcus and I will keep our streaks up. You should too.

Rest in peace, Duo. 

Copy Edited by Charlotte Collins ’26

Featured image courtesy of Instagram and Duolingo