Meet the real Zaria Parvez: The social media manager who became the brand

"Marketing job moves rarely get noticed like this. But when Zaria Parvez shared that she was leaving Duolingo, the internet lit up. Her resignation announcement generated more than 20,000 LinkedIn reactions, a Wall Street Journal feature and even a handful of real-people Reddit threads. The kind of attention even seasoned CMOs can only dream of was suddenly directed at a 26-year-old social media manager leaving her first role out of college."

""I think a lot of people cared because it was one of the first times that a social media manager had an impact on the brand but also was able to talk about it and bring everyone on the journey," she says. "So I almost feel like it built this parasocial relationship, of like, 'we know Zaria from Duolingo, and this is everything she's done,' and then I kind of just tore off the band aid.""

Zaria Parvez spent five years as Duolingo's global social media manager, growing TikTok followers from about 50,000 to over 16 million and generating more than 8 billion impressions across platforms. She became the public face of Duolingo's social transformation by documenting strategy and campaigns on her personal channels, creating a strong parasocial connection with audiences. At 26 and in her first role out of college, she led bold activations including the polarizing decision to kill mascot Duo, a stunt that became a defining marketing moment referenced by public figures. Her resignation produced widespread engagement and mainstream coverage, and she accepted DoorDash's head of social role.

Read at The Drum