In a shocking turn of events that has sent shockwaves through the language-learning community and social media at large, Duolingo announced on Tuesday that its notorious mascot, Duo the Owl, has mysteriously passed away. The green owl, famous for his relentless pursuit of linguistic excellence and passive-aggressive reminders, has apparently gone to that great language lab in the sky.
The company's spokesperson delivered the news with characteristic gravity: "It is with deep regret that we inform about the passing of our beloved owl, Duo." In what might be considered a passive-aggressive jab from beyond the grave, they added, "To be honest, he likely died because our learners didn't take their lessons seriously, but then again, what do we know." A fitting epitaph, perhaps, for an owl who spent years guilt-tripping millions into conjugating verbs.
Adding a dash of intrigue to the proceedings, Duolingo later dropped a cryptic bombshell on X (formerly Twitter), stating they're "currently investigating Jimmy" - though who this mysterious Jimmy might be remains as unclear as a beginner's pronunciation of "croissant."
The internet, predictably, has gone absolutely barmy over the news. The announcement has garnered over half a million likes, with users rushing to share their "grief" and "remorse." One particularly guilt-ridden user lamented, "Bro spent his last days begging me to learn French...and I ignored him...I will never recover from this." One can only imagine the therapy bills.
Many fans have reacted to the news with memes.
The corporate world, never one to miss a moment of collective internet hysteria, has joined the mourning parade with their own cheeky tributes. Pizza Hut, channelling peak Gen-Z energy, pleaded "Say Sike rn," while Baskin Robbins went full Billy Joel with "Only the good (birds) die young." Cheez-It offered perhaps the most fitting tribute: "They died doing what they loved" - presumably haunting the dreams of language learners worldwide.
As investigations into Duo's untimely demise continue, questions remain. Was it the strain of sending billions of notification reminders? Did someone finally snap after receiving their 100th "You missed your Spanish lesson!" alert? Or is this simply another masterclass in viral marketing from the language-learning behemoth?
One thing's certain: somewhere, a notification is going unread, and Duo - dead or alive - is probably still judging us for it.
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