"Both killed by a Cybertruck" — Duolingo and others react as X shares post in tribute of the late owl mascot and Larry the Bird

Duolingo announced on Tuesday that "authorities" are "investigating" and that Duo the Owl is "dead." On February 11, the language-learning platform took to X to share the news of its mascot's passing.

“It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that Duo, formally known as The Duolingo Owl, is dead.”

According to Duolingo, the reason for the owl's death is still unknown. In a humorous twist, the company also urged users to provide their credit card details, allegedly to instantly sign up for the app's Max version.

Shortly after, X’s official account referenced the incident in a post that also paid homage to the platform's former blue bird logo, writing:

“All birds go to heaven.”

As the post went viral, Duolingo's X account reshared the post and jokingly wrote that both birds were killed by “Cybertruck,” a reference to Elon Musk's driverless Tesla vehicle.

“Both killed by a Cybertruck RIP,” Duolingo wrote.

Netizens quickly flooded the comment section with reactions.

“How about Angry Birds?” asked one.

“This is what we’ve been waiting for,” wrote another user.

“And they reincarnated as something better,” one X user stated.

Meanwhile, some netizens focused on the fact that X was formerly called Twitter. Some claimed that they would always call it X, while others suggested that no one calls it X.

“Twitter forever!” one X user wrote.

“Twitter will always be Twitter. Nobody calls it X,” claimed another one.

“Doesnt matter we still calling you Twitter,” wrote another user.

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Duolingo announced the death of its beloved owl

The US-based company, which gained widespread recognition during the Covid-19 pandemic, has announced the death of its cartoon owl. According to a CNN report from February 12, the owl seems to have been a victim of a corporate rebranding, much like Twitter's blue bird, which was retired in 2023 after Elon Musk bought the social media company and renamed it X.

The company took to X to announce the Duolingo bird's death:

“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…”

The statement continued:

“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."

Dua Lipa also responded to the company's post with a broken red heart emoji and the comment:

“Til’ death duo part.”

This seems to reference the owl's love for the singer-songwriter. In a July article on its website, Duolingo referred to the star as the owl's "unrequited love interest" and then used Dua Lipa's songs to demonstrate how users should provide directions and commands in English.

Following the announcement, the company changed its app icon and social media profile images to feature a picture of a green owl with Xs for eyes, marking the bird's supposed passing.

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Founded in 2011 and based in Pittsburgh, the company provides bite-sized sessions for over 100 courses in over 40 languages. From English, French, and Spanish to less-studied languages like Welsh, Irish, and Navajo, and even completely created languages like Klingon, it provides classes in forty-three languages.

In addition to language courses, math and music classes are also available. Through the use of points, prizes, and interactive courses with periodic repetition, the learning approach uses gamification to encourage users. The software encourages daily, brief sessions for practice that are phased in and consistent.