LAW.COM – Elizabeth Monteleone has stepped down as Bumble's chief legal officer just 10 months after taking the role. The company has passed the legal reins to Deirdre Runnette, a former general counsel of the online retailer Zulily. Amid sluggish performance, company founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, who'd been CEO until January 2024, returned as CEO in March, replacing Lidiane Jones, who'd made the controversial move to pivot away from the app's women-make-the-first-move strategy, which had differentiated it from other dating apps. Also in March, Anuradha Subramanian resigned as chief financial officer.
Month: April 2025
RAW Dating App Pays Users to Take Selfies Everyday
PRESS RELEASE- Dating app RAW rewards users weekly for joining its real-time selfie challenge. Each day, the app sends a random prompt asking users to snap a dual-camera photo – one from the front camera, one from the rear – capturing an unfiltered moment of their day. The goal is to showcase real life, encouraging connections based on surroundings and authenticity, not just appearance. Every week, three users with the most creative or genuine submissions receive a prize.
China’s Dating Boom Faces Rising Fraud Risk
SIXTH TONE – China's matchmaking industry is rapidly expanding, with ~46,500 new companies launched in the past year and a market now worth 9.38B yuan ($1.2B). Despite a record-low marriage rate, demand for dating apps and matchmaking services like Baihe, Zhenai, Momo, and Tantan continues to rise. However, the sector faces growing scrutiny as scams have emerged, exploiting regulatory gaps and a lack of identity checks. China's Supreme People's Procuratorate reported ~1,500 related prosecutions last year, involving fake agencies, sham marriages, and fraudulent investment schemes. Authorities are now calling for stronger oversight to ensure user safety and trust in the booming singles market.
Bumble Proves Politics Is No Longer Taboo in Dating
BANDT – Bumble has partnered with political commentator Hannah Ferguson to explore how politics is influencing modern dating in Australia. Ahead of the Federal Election, Ferguson uses poll data from ~7,200 Australians to highlight shifting norms – 80% are comfortable discussing politics on a first date, while 64% believe dating across political lines is impossible. Despite this, 36% remain open to it.
Internet Dating Jobs Listing Update – April 2025
OPW – The new Internet dating jobs listing is live on the Internet Dating Jobs blog.
Below see a couple of this month's most interesting offers:
Grindr
Director of Product Management, Trust & Safety
Inner Circle
CTO
Match Group
Sr. Director, Head of Growth – BLK
Social Discovery Ventures
Head of Mobile Product
Tinder
Senior Director Marketing
To see more open positions go here.
Do you have an idating industry job offer which is not included? Please, send it to tips@onlinepersonalswatch.com and we will add it to the list.
Match Group CTO Will Wu Is Stepping Down
BLOOMBERG – Match Group's chief technology and product officer Will Wu said he's leaving his role at the end of May, adding to a slew of executive changes at the dating app company. Wu announced his departure in a post on his Linkedin, saying he'll advise the leadership team through the transition. Match Group didn’t immediately name his replacement.
Pairs Has Expanded to South Korea
Lox Club Launches in UK With Curated Jewish Matchmaking
STANDARD.CO.UK – Lox Club, a Jewish dating app founded by Austin Kevitch in the U.S. in 2020, is launching in the UK. The app features a 1920s deli-inspired theme and offers membership-based access to in-person events such as Shabbat dinners, pasta-making classes, and magic shows. Users are shown a limited number of matches per day and are asked to provide details including career ambitions and income bracket as part of the matchmaking process. The platform employs in-house matchmakers and currently has hundreds of thousands of members. Membership costs between $2.50 and $4.25, depending on the plan.
The Origins of Match.com
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK – Gary Kremen, a Stanford graduate and entrepreneur, founded Match.com in 1995, launching one of the world's first and most influential online dating platforms. The idea came in 1993, when Kremen, frustrated with traditional dating methods like newspaper ads and 900-numbers, envisioned an email-based database where users could share photos and messages. He took out a $2,500 cash advance and launched Electric Classifieds Inc., registering domains like Match.com, Jobs.com, and Autos.com. Match became the testing ground, and Kremen focused on designing it specifically with women in mind. He interviewed ~100 women and partnered with Fran Maier, who helped shape Match into a safe, clean, and female-friendly space, including features like public meeting guidelines and later, a paid subscription model. The site was originally run on a Sun Microsystems server and grew steadily, even in an era when few people had home internet access. Maier later recalled its rapid growth, up to 4% daily at one point, and its broad demographic reach.
‘Ego-Scrolling’ on Dating Apps Is on the Rise
USA TODAY – Many users are turning to dating apps not for connection, but for quick validation, a habit dubbed "ego-scrolling." Instead of seeking real conversations, people swipe for a boost to self-esteem, often driven by boredom, anxiety, or loneliness. Experts say this behavior offers short-term emotional relief but rarely leads to meaningful relationships and can deepen dating fatigue and frustration.