Duolingo's top social media manager says she had more professional success when she didn't separate life and work
Zaria Parvez, who announced her departure from her role as senior global social media manager to pursue another social media role, said her best work came when she put work-life balance aside.
"There was a lot of, 'I'm not gonna check Slack after 5. I'm going to actually work a 40-hour week,'" she said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on Wednesday. "But I will say, when I didn't separate my life from my work, I succeeded far more in my role. That's a hard truth."
The language learning app is famous for its creative and guilt-inducing app notifications and social media posts. Marketing experts say the approach works, especially with Gen Z, because the app's green owl mascot appears authentic and consistent. Whether it's on TV, in YouTube ads, or on TikTok, where Duolingo has over 16.7 million followers, the company is among the first to tap into viral, often country-specific trends.
The 26-year-old marketing manager, who has been at the company for five years, also said she dealt with anxiety because she ran such a successful social media account.
"Last year when I went on medical leave. I was really confused and exhausted," Parvez said. "It got to the point where the anxiety of running such a big account and having to be always on was so on my shoulders."
She added: "I would get three hours of sleep at night. I would be incessantly trying to figure out, how do I be creative in all the best ways? How do I do this on my own?"
She said that her family paid attention to her career, too.
Last year, for a marketing stunt, Duolingo faked the death of its green owl mascot. It blew up and received lots of organic engagement from Duolingo users, celebrities like MrBeast and Dua Lipa, and brands such as Hilton, Chipotle, and Netflix. Parvez said that one campaign brought in 1.7 billion social media impressions.
"People thought Duolingo the company had died," Parvez said. "My mom's like, did you lose your job?"
Not all of Duolingo's messaging has gotten the same stamp of approval from the internet.
Parvez shared a 2021 instance during the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial when Duolingo commented on a TikTok post, and it was not received well by Twitter users.
Earlier this month, Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn said the company had dialed back on "edgy posts" after his post on mandatory internal AI usage received harsh social media backlash.
The Duolingo CEO said that "stopping edgy posts" helped turn social media sentiment positive. But he said the move may also have hurt the company's daily active user count, one of its most important metrics, in the quarter that ended in June.
Duolingo's stock is up 61% in the last year.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
18 minutes ago
- New York Post
Buffalo Bills owner's $100M yacht sparks outrage as taxpayers fund $850M stadium: ‘Slap in the face'
The billionaire owner of the Buffalo Bills has sparked fresh outrage over his yacht — as New York state taxpayers remain partially on the hook for his new $2.1 billion stadium. Terry Pegula, who once threatened to move the Bills out of western New York if taxpayers refused to shoulder part of the cost to build a new venue, is also the owner of a $100 million superyacht named 'Top Five II'. Bills fans erupted after a fan recently posted TikTok footage of Pegula's lboat anchored in Newport, RI. The clip triggered a firestorm over the billionaire's lifestyle while New York and Erie County taxpayers bankroll the largest public subsidy in NFL history. 7 Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula is under fire after his $100 million yacht was spotted in Newport, RI, while taxpayers cover $850 million of the team's new stadium costs. Getty Images 'The Pegulas are relaxing in Newport while we pay for the stadium? That's a slap in the face,' one Bills Mafia member fumed online. Pegula's 200-foot superyacht is a custom-built Hakvoort delivered in 2021 and valued at between $75 million and $100 million. The vessel sleeps 12 guests in six suites and carries 18 crew, with lavish interiors featuring designer touches from Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Gucci. Amenities include a glass-sided spa pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, cinema lounge, gym and expansive owner's deck with private dining, bar, and entertainment areas. The yacht is also reportedly available for charter at more than $500,000 per week. His floating palace is reportedly named for his five children: two from a previous marriage and three with current wife Kim. Their daughter Jessica Pegula, 31, is a tennis superstar with seven ATP titles who reached last year's US Open finals. 7 The 200-foot luxury vessel, Top Five II, boasts a spa pool, cinema lounge and designer interiors, and is valued at up to $100 million. TikTok/ktlynn18 7 Bills Mafia fans erupted online after TikTok footage of Pegula's yacht went viral. TikTok/ktlynn18 'I bet he pays more to dock that than he does in taxes,' a Bills fan who identified himself as Craig wrote on Facebook. He added: 'Love the Bills, but I'm not gonna worship the Pegulas who pay nothing in taxes on money they made hydro fracking.' Another enraged supporter ripped the arrangement on Reddit: 'Love the Bills, but this stadium deal is robbery. Pegulas pay nothing while we go broke.' New York taxpayers are shelling out $600 million despite many being Giants and Jets fans. Those teams play across state lines at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, leaving Empire State residents funding a rival franchise. 7 The image above is a renderings of the Bills' $2.1 billion Highmark Stadium project, which is already $560 million over budget. Populous 7 The new Bills stadium is considered to be the largest public subsidy in the history of the NFL. Populous Erie County is kicking in another $250 million, bringing total public funding to $850 million — the most taxpayer money ever committed to an NFL facility. Critics have torched the arrangement as 'corporate welfare' and one of the worst stadium deals in sports history while economists argue the massive subsidy should fund education, infrastructure or social services instead of padding a billionaire's bottom line. Pegula, the 74-year-old Penn State alum, who boasts a reported net worth of $7 billion that is derived largely from fracking and natural gas investments, is relying on public funding for the New Highmark Stadium. Meanwhile, the stadium deal has Bills fans seeing red as costs spiral out of control. The project is already $560 million over the original estimate, yet Pegula insisted on luxury features like a 'heated roof' while refusing to build a dome that could host Super Bowls. 'While we think it was easy here in Western New York, getting it through the New York State Legislature, which has a lot of people from parts of the state that are not Buffalo, it was hard,' Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Buffalo native, said in January 2024. 'But we got it done.' The Pegula family also owns the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, giving them two teams benefiting from public largesse while maintaining their extravagant lifestyle. The Sabres have long relied on taxpayer support, starting with the construction of KeyBank Center in the 1990s, when public funds covered about $55 million, or 45% of the total cost. 7 Pegula's daughter is Jessica Pegula, an elite tennis player. She is seen above at the US Open on Wednesday. REUTERS 7 The Pegula family also owns the NHL's Buffalo Sabres. Terry Pegula is seen left with wife Kim Pegula. USA TODAY Sports The team's HarborCenter project later received roughly $57 million in state and local tax breaks, making it one of Buffalo's most heavily subsidized downtown developments. With the arena now nearly 30 years old, state and local leaders have already signaled that major renovations or even a new facility could once again require significant public investment. The Post has sought comment from Pegula and Hochul.
Axios
18 minutes ago
- Axios
Twin Cities weekend guide: Benson Boone, reality TV trivia, dog pool party
The Grandstand may be the hottest venue in town right now, but it's not the only spot to catch live music this weekend. Here are four shows you won't have to battle fair traffic for — and one that will be worth the fight. 🤸♂️ Benson Boone: The chart-topping, stage-flipping singer-songwriter who rose to fame on TikTok will perform his new album at Xcel Energy Center Friday night. Official resale tickets start at $183 🇺🇸 Charley Crockett: This Grammy-nominated neotraditional country singer will perform a rain-or-shine outdoor show Saturday at Surly Brewing Festival Field. $63.10 🎤 Atmosphere & Friends: Music lovers in search of a Grandstand show can check out the well-established Minnesota hip-hop duo Saturday night alongside fellow artists Cypress Hill, Lupe Fiasco, The Pharcyde and DJ Abilities. $53.75+ 🎻 Strings Attached: An Indie Orchestra Experience: This Sunday matinee at the Parkway Theater mashes up the music of Mississippi Valley Orchestra's 16-piece string group with four Twin Cities indie artists. $26.55 🎹 Audrey's pick: If you've ever wanted to hear how modern jazz can successfully blend with hip-hop beats, Minneapolis-born pianist/producer Javier Santiago is playing the Dakota Sunday night with local jazz fusion group Room3. $29+ In other entertainment news... 👋 Make a new friend at Break the Bubble, a Friday night meetup of soon-to-be-pals on the patio at Dual Citizen Brewing. Just show up, put on a name tag and introduce yourself to someone new. Free 🦐 Demolish a full crayfish dinner at American Swedish Institute's kräftskiva, an outdoor Friday night party devoted to the delicious crustaceans. A ticket includes a traditional Swedish crayfish dinner (with breads, cheese, salads and paj), party hat, songbook, shot of Aquavit and a much-needed bib. $80 💦 Bring your pup and a towel to summer's last Doggy Pool Party in Plymouth on Saturday afternoon, featuring toys, multiple pools and sprinklers to ensure maximum fun (and wet dog smell). Included with $12 venue admission 📺 Do you know too much about "Survivor"? Local charity organization Live to Give is hosting a reality TV show trivia night /fundraiser Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis, featuring questions about reality classics and new shows.
Business Insider
19 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Hank Green's 'Focus Friend' unseated ChatGPT on the App Store. I used it to help concentrate while writing this article.
I needed to focus and write this article. Hank Green had just the bean for me. YouTuber Hank Green surprise-dropped his app "Focus Friend," saying in a TikTok that it was "the best idea I ever had." The app's premise is simple: The more time spent off your phone, the longer your virtual bean can knit its scarves and socks. Users can eventually trade in their knitwear for virtual room furniture. Quickly after Green posted about it, "Focus Friend" scaled the App Store, eventually hitting No. 1. It currently sits at No. 3. Green also helped his odds by posting about the app's ascension on his TikTok. Once "Focus Friend" reached the No. 2 position, he called out to his audience: "Everyone stop downloading ChatGPT for just a second, okay?" The app's success highlights Green's influence, having posted to YouTube in various forms since 2007 and amassed over 2.4 million followers (and 8.2 million on TikTok). It's also a sign of the growing popularity of focus-aid tools as people increasingly face notifications, pings, and other screen-based distractions. In an email to Business Insider, Green shared the origin story of "Focus Friend" and its bean companion. To build the app, he worked with developer Bria Sullivan of mobile game studio Honey B Games. "Bria suggested a focus timer and let me sit with that idea for a while. [I] came back to her saying, 'I feel like I need to be responsible to someone besides myself' and pitched the idea of a bean that was 'working on something' inside of your phone," Green wrote. "From there, we iterated together trying to figure out what would be most motivating and balancing that with what it was possible to actually build relatively simply. " What it's like to use 'Focus Friend' As a writer, my job demands long, sustained efforts of productivity with little distraction. But the lure of a quick X scroll or a text-check can be hard to ignore. Could "Focus Friend" help me write this article? I downloaded "Focus Friend" for free and gave it my name. My bean appeared before me — small, smiley, and with a little accent on his backside that appears to be its derrière. The app asked me to name my bean; ever the creative writer, I chose "Mr. Beano." With the brief setup process complete, I was able to start a focus session. The app's calming classical music played in the background. (In a TikTok, Green said that the classical music was made by gaming composer Samantha Van Der Sluis.) As my bean got to knitting, I got to writing. When the 15-minute session ended, I learned of Mr. Beano's haul. He knit 14 socks. The more sessions I endured, the more socks he would bring back. Staring down at my bean's empty room, I thought that it was time to do something decidedly unfocused: go on a shopping spree. With my limited capital, I didn't have enough for a rug or desk for Mr. Beano. A plant would liven up the barren room, though — and would only cost 15 of my hard-earned socks. In his TikToks, Green had a cat-themed companion. I hoped to spruce Mr. Beano up — but all of the alternate bean skins, from coffee to edamame, required payment. While Green's name is in the app's profile — "Focus Friend, by Hank Green" — he is not widely visible within the game. This is no " Kim Kardashian: Hollywood," where users constantly see its celebrity creator. But Green's influence is visible in these skins: Users can pay to be "Hank Bean" or "John Bean," named after Hank's brother, for $5.99 each. Here lies the app's money-making ability. When asked for the price, Green said: "$0. Also, there are no ads. You're welcome." In a since-deleted TikTok, Green said that including ads was antithetical to the app's mission. But there are ample in-app purchase opportunities, including the skins and a $1.99/month "Focus Friend Pro" subscription. Green said the income from in-app purchases will allow him to expand the app's offerings — something he's already working on. "We've been working on new rooms since launch, so that's coming soon," he wrote to Business Insider. "We also want to have a widget that folks can keep on their screen to remind them that there's never a bad time for focus. And, of course, we've got a mix of little features and big launches that we're trying to balance with all of the other work of having a TON of new users! " The app is also framed as "ADHD-friendly" in the App Store, though Green doesn't reference any similar uses in his TikToks. Having become sufficiently unfocused in my exploration of the app, I set another timer. This time, I turned on "Deep Focus" mode, which formally disabled my access to most other phone apps. It was just me and Mr. Beano for the next 15 minutes, no distractions. My bean's knitting session gave me time to dig into the other focus apps on the market. By now, there are dozens; I remember using the similar Pomodoro technique site years back in high school. Apple also allows its users to set screen time limits for individual apps, as well as a " Sleep Focus" mode to tune out distractions. Green explained to me more about why he was interested in focus and attention. "We live in a world where all of the smartest people (and computers) in the world are dedicated to capturing and holding and monetizing our attention," he wrote. "But our attention is all we have, and I think people want some of it back!" With all of these apps, there's a small irony. Focus apps posit that the best way to use our phones less is to download yet another piece of software. Still, I found it helpful. I made good time writing this article, likely thanks to the 15-minute uninterrupted work stretches. My last focus session came to an end. I bought Mr. Beano a hamper.
