Forced Out Of Tinder, A Former Exec Creates A Less Creepy Dating App – Businessweek

This is not Tinder rebooted, Wolfe insists. Bumble’sgimmick: Only women can start conversations with their connections. If a woman doesnt get in touch with a guy, he disappears from her feedunless he chooses to extend for an additional 24 hours the time frame she has online dating to ping him. (Guys can only do this with one connectionper day). With gay and lesbian users, either party can send the first note. The app will not erase the possibility that men will send messages that make women uncomfortable”The product cannot control how to people speak to each other,” Wolfe saysbut giving women even a little bit more control over their inbox is bound to cut down ontrolls. Early adopters could be forgiven for seeing a lot of Tinder in Bumble.The apps, in addition to having features in common, share asparse, white-space-heavyaesthetic. (Wolfe attributes the likeness to the fact that she hired designers Chris Gulczynski and Sarah Mick, who helped createTinder’s look.) If Bumbleis successful, it could help Wolfewin vindication for a claim she’s long made: that she was instrumental toTinder’s founding. I know what I brought to the table, and the best way for me to prove that to myselfand to whomever it might matter tois to do it again, says Wolfe. In September, Wolfe, Tinder’s former vice president of marketing, settled a lawsuit that accused Chief Executive Officer Sean Rad and marketingchiefJustin Mateen of writing herco-founder status out of the company’s historyandsending her a barrage of horrendously sexist, racist, and otherwise inappropriate comments, emails and text messages. While public disagreement remains over her role at Tinder,the painful situation seems to have shaken out largely in Wolfe’s favor:Mateen resigned, Rad lost his CEO title, and Wolfe kept equity in the company. The lawsuit hadone unmitigated upside for Wolfe in the form of a wealthy Russian investor. A week after she filed the claim, Wolfe says she received an e-mail from Andrey Andreev,a Moscow-born, London-based entrepreneur who started the global social network Badoo, expressing support. At first, she didnt reply because she was limiting interactionsto her inner circle.
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