Zaria Parvez joined Duolingo five years ago as her first job out of college and grew the brand’s social presence, transforming TikTok from 35,000 followers to 16 million. She developed parody videos, the death-of-Duo campaign, and Duo’s appearance as a wedding officiant, cementing Duo as the company’s recognizable mascot. Parvez announced her departure, saying she had "done everything she could do" and sought a new challenge. Her exit followed backlash to CEO Luis Von Ahn’s comments about replacing contractors with AI. Parvez experienced significant anxiety and burnout, including medical leave and severe sleep loss, while managing an always-on account.
"Last year when I went on medical leave. I was really confused and exhausted," she 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. 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?"
"done everything she could do"
"It's an investment, a down payment. Eventually, the mortgage pays itself off if you have the right strategy," she said.
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