Duolingo's "Death of the Teacher" Strategy (And What Strategic Thinkers Can Learn From It)

Why the death of Duolingo’s mascot was Transformation Marketing done right

I almost wrote this off as a stunt.

When Duolingo killed their owl mascot in February 2025, my first reaction—like millions of language learners—was confusion mixed with panic.

Is the app shutting down? Is this a hack? What happens to my 384-day streak?

Then relief: Oh, it’s just marketing. The owl will be back. This is engagement bait.

And I almost stopped…