Category: Match Group

Match Group Knew About Repeat Rapists on Tinder and Hinge but Failed to Act

Posted on February 13, 2025
Match Group logo

THE GUARDIAN – Match Group has knowingly allowed sexual predators to continue using its platforms despite multiple reports of assault. A Denver cardiologist, Stephen Matthews, was reported for rape at least 15 times yet remained active on Hinge and other Match-owned apps for years. He was only removed after his arrest in 2023 and later sentenced to 158 years in prison. Internal documents show that Match Group has tracked reports of rape and assault since 2016 but failed to act effectively or inform users. Their Sentinel system, designed to block banned users, was found to be easily bypassed. Despite promising a transparency report in 2020, the company never released it. Match Group responded to the investigation by stating that it is committed to safety, using AI tools, ID verification, and law enforcement partnerships. However, independent tests showed that banned users, including those reported for sexual assault, could easily rejoin the platform. In recent years, Match Group cut its internal safety team, outsourced moderation, and prioritized growth, leading to increased scrutiny from lawmakers.

by Emily Elena Dugdale & Hanisha Harjani
See full article at The Guardian

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Tinder Turns to AI Matching Amid Declining Users and Revenue

Posted on February 7, 2025
Tinder app page in the app store

TECH CRUNCH – Tinder is introducing AI-powered matching to counter declining user engagement and revenue. The new feature aims to provide personalized recommendations beyond traditional swiping, though swiping will remain. Tinder’s global user base continues to shrink, with monthly active users down 8% in January and direct revenue missing forecasts at $476M. Match Group’s new CEO, Spencer Rascoff, sees AI as a game-changer, likening its potential impact to the mobile revolution.

by Sarah Perez
See full article at Tech Crunch

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Match Group Shares Drop as Spencer Rascoff Named CEO Amid Growth Concerns

Posted on February 6, 2025
Match Group

MARKETWATCH – Match Group shares dropped 7.5% after appointing Spencer Rascoff as CEO, replacing Bernard Kim, amid ongoing concerns about growth. Rascoff, a board member linked to activist investor Elliott Management, emphasized execution and accountability, even committing to a $2M stock purchase. Despite exceeding Q4 revenue expectations, Tinder’s revenue fell 3.4%, with declining paying users. Activist investors, including Starboard Value, have pressured Match to improve Tinder’s performance or consider going private.

by Denny Jacob
See full article at Marketwatch

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Spencer Rascoff Named CEO of Match Group

Posted on February 5, 2025
Spencer Rascoff

REUTERS – Match Group appointed Spencer Rascoff as its new CEO amid declining user engagement and a weaker-than-expected revenue forecast. Shares fell 9% after the company projected 2025 revenue between $3.38B and $3.50B, below analysts’ estimates. The company continues to face slowing demand, increased competition, and declining paying users, which fell 4% in Q4, marking the ninth consecutive quarter of decline. Spencer Rascoff is succeeding Bernard Kim. Rascoff, a former Zillow CEO and co-founder of Hotwire and Pacaso, has been on Match Group’s Board since 2024 and brings extensive experience in scaling consumer tech businesses. Rascoff aims to drive the next phase of growth.

by Judy Babu
See full article at Reuters

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Match Group Announces Fourth Quarter and Full-Year Results

Posted on February 5, 2025
Logo of Match Group

PR NEWSWIRE – Match Group reported a total 2024 revenue of $3.5B in 2024, a 3% increase YOY, with a net income of $823M, down 10%. Adjusted operating income remained flat at $1.3B. The company saw a 5% decline in total payers to 14.9M, but revenue per payer (RPP) increased by 8% to $19.12. Tinder generated $1.9B in revenue in 2024, growing 1% YOY, while its net income declined 7% to $889M. Hinge experienced significant growth, with revenue reaching $550M, a 39% increase, while net income rose 64% to $121M and adjusted operating income jumped 55% to $166M. Hinge’s payers grew 23% to 1.5M, and RPP increased 13% to $29.94. Match Group’s other properties, including Evergreen & Emerging brands and Match Group Asia, saw mixed performance. Evergreen & Emerging brands reported $643M in revenue, a 7% decline. Match Group Asia posted $284M in revenue, down 6%, and an operating loss of $32M.

Q4 Results: Match Group reported Q4 2024 revenue of $860M, a 1% decline YOY. Tinder generated $476M, down 3%, while Hinge saw strong growth with $148M in revenue, up 27%.

See full article at Match Group website

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Match Group’s Q4 Earnings to Reveal Tinder’s Future

Posted on February 3, 2025

Match GroupMARKETWATCH – Match Group's future depends on reviving Tinder, which has struggled with slowing user growth and declining engagement as Gen Z shifts toward real-life interactions. With shares down nearly 80% from their peak, activist investors are pressuring the company for change, including a potential buyout. While AI-backed features are being tested, they won't be a quick fix. Match expects Tinder's revenue to grow in the low single digits by 2027. Investors are closely watching whether the company can deliver on its three-year growth plan, but concerns over execution and lack of major innovation remain.

by Denny Jacob
See full article at Marketwatch

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Hinge’s New AI Feature Determines if Users’ Prompt Response Is Too Basic

Posted on January 16, 2025
Screenshot of Hinge's Prompt Feedback feature on mobile, showing suggestions for improving user profile answers, including 'Go a little deeper' and 'Great answer.

TECH CRUNCH – Hinge has introduced “Prompt Feedback,” an AI-powered tool using OpenAI’s GPT-4o mini to help users write better profile answers. It provides three types of feedback: “Go a Little Deeper,” “Try a Small Change,” and “Great Answer,” aiming to replace generic responses with more specific ones. The feature addresses a common issue, as 63% of daters struggle with what to write on their profiles. This tool is part of Match Group’s $20–$30M investment in AI, which also includes Tinder’s photo selector tool.

by Lauren Forristal
See full article at Tech Crunch

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What to Expect From Match Group’s Next Quarterly Earnings Report

Posted on January 14, 2025
Match Group logo

TRADING VIEW – Match Group will announce its Q4 2024 earnings on Feb 4. Analysts expect profits of $0.54 per share, down from $0.81 last year, and revenue between $865M and $875M. This follows Q3 revenue of $895.5M, which slightly missed forecasts. For the full year, profits are projected to drop 14.2% to $1.94 per share but are expected to rebound to $2.13 in 2025. Analysts give the stock a “Moderate Buy” rating with a $36.88 price target, suggesting potential growth ahead.

See full article at Trading View

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Dating Apps Prepare to Launch AI Features to Help Users Find Love

Posted on January 1, 2025
Dating Apps Prepare to Launch AI Features to Help Users Find Love

THE GUARDIAN – Match Group is increasing investment in AI with new products coming in March 2025 for its “AI transformation.” Match Group’s digital assistant will perform core dating tasks such as selecting the photos it calculates, which will garner the most responses and recommend prompts and information to put in a bio. It will help users choose the perfect partner. The AI will conduct a spoken interview with the user to establish what they want to get out of their dating experience, suggest messages to send to people, and provide “effective coaching for struggling users.”

Anastasiia Babash, a PhD candidate at the University of Tartu in Estonia and a member of the international Ethical Dating Online project, said the increased reliance on AI in dating could be detrimental to people’s ability to interact without it. Also, can Match Group be trusted to safeguard the immense amount of data they are collecting and using to train their algorithms or to remove data bias problems? “AI systems used in dating apps are often trained on data that reflect existing biases. If these biases aren’t addressed, AI could reinforce stereotypes or even discriminate.”

Faye Iosotaluno, the CEO of Tinder, said the company had been taking a careful approach to AI in relation to how it handles data. “I think it does have a chance to really revolutionize how users are engaging. We want to be super thoughtful about that.”

by Raphael Boyd
See full article at The Guardian

Mark Brooks: People need help navigating the huge amount of choices we’ve served up for them. They need help with all the associated decisions; how to choose, communicate, and decipher feedback. AI will become a mainstay for larger dating apps and an enduring USP.

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Online Dating Is About to Radically Change

Posted on December 23, 2024
A woman using a smartphone with a text overlay promoting Bumble's Private Detector feature, emphasizing user control and safety.

CNN – Dating apps are on the cusp of a major transformation. Personalized chatbots dating other chatbots on your behalf. AI concierges fielding questions about potential matches. Advanced algorithms predicting compatibility better than ever before. At its investor meeting, Match Group teased plans to use AI to improve user experiences and help make better connections. Hinge will offer more personalized matching, smarter algorithms that adapt to users and better understand them over time, and AI coaching for struggling daters. AI is going to transform the dating app experience, taking it from a do-it-yourself platform to an expertly guided journey that leads to far better outcomes and much better value. Bumble uses AI in safety features like its Private Detector – an AI-powered tool that blurs explicit images – and Deception Detector, which identifies spam, scams and fake profiles. Similarly, Match Group offers tools like buttons that say “Are You Sure?” to detect harmful language and “Does This Bother You?” to prompt users to report inappropriate behavior. Startup Rizz is experimenting with chatbots that help respond to messages. During Match Group’s investor day, Hinge’s CEO, Justin McLeod announced plans to build the “world’s most knowledgeable dating coach.” Hinge has seen a higher number of matches and subscription renewals with its improved AI algorithm among early test groups.

by Samantha Murphy Kelly
See full article at CNN

Mark Brooks: Large incumbent dating companies are sitting pretty because of large troves of data that can be used to inform AI to help move people towards finding better matches, improve their dates, and then make better decisions about what to do next.

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