Latest news with #Rascoff
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Tinder's New Height Filter Sparks Fierce Debate
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The end of "short king spring" may be in sight as the summer months arrive and the popular dating app Tinder tests a "height" filter. A spokesperson for Tinder told Newsweek, "We're always listening to what matters most to our Tinder users—and testing the paid height preference is a great example of how we're building with urgency, clarity, and focus." Why It Matters When it comes to dating, preferences about height have often sparked debate. A 2013 study from ScienceDirect found that women prefer their partners to be 8 inches taller than them, while men prefer to be 3 inches taller than their partners. As of 2022, Tinder, one of the most popular dating apps in the U.S., had 75 million monthly active users. The platform, long seen as part of "hookup culture," is undergoing a rebrand in a bid to appeal to Gen Z. Spencer Rascoff, the CEO of Match Group, the app's parent company, hopes to make Tinder known for more serious dating. Tinder's headquarters on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, on August 28, 2020. Tinder's headquarters on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, on August 28, 2020. AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images What To Know Tinder is testing the new feature for its gold and premium subscribers. According to the company, the feature is a preference rather than a hard filter, so it doesn't outright block or exclude profiles but acts more as a guidepost. Popular dating apps, such as Hinge and Bumble, already have height filters available behind a paywall for premium users. Though height filters aren't new among dating apps, and height preferences for both men and women have long been well documented, the new filter has sparked a fierce debate online. On X, formerly Twitter, user @uncanny_eli, a media and culture writer, wrote: "Men and women alike are derangingly obsessed with men's heights in theory but it doesn't really translate irl? every day i live my short guy life and it's not much issue meanwhile the popular wisdom on being a 5'6" man is 'Kill Yourself Now.'" Other users asked for a "weight filter" for women. User @Rich_Cooper wrote, "When is age and weight verification coming for women?" "Do we get a weight filter," user @Cryptoking commented. Though the filter has upset some social media users, others have poked fun at the online response. User @kmmyvu wrote on X that it was "hilarious seeing short men act like they're oppressed." Hinge and Tinder are owned by the same parent company, and as of July, Rascoff is set to lead Tinder in addition to being the CEO of Match Group. In a LinkedIn post published on May 28, Rascoff wrote, "We are rethinking not just what we build but how we build it." According to The Wall Street Journal, Rascoff recently told a group of investors: "This generation of Gen Z, 18 to 28—it's not a hookup generation. They don't drink as much alcohol, they don't have as much sex." He added, "We need to adapt our products to accept that reality." What People Are Saying A spokesperson for Tinder told Newsweek: "This is part of a broader effort to help people connect more intentionally on Tinder. Our new product principles guide every decision, and this one speaks directly to a few: prioritizing user outcomes, moving fast, and learning quickly. Not every test becomes a permanent feature, but every test helps us learn how we can deliver smarter, more relevant experiences and push the category forward." X user @enemycharlie wrote: "Not to side with the men here, but why do women 5'3" and under have such strong preferences for men 6ft+. you are a hobbit, 5'8" is tall enough. you can't even tell when your 5'8" boyfriend is lying about being 6'0" because you're so short." Bodybuilder Jeff Nippard wrote on X: "This really isn't a big deal. As a short man, if a woman doesn't find you attractive because of your height then why would you want to be with her anyway?" What Happens Next It remains to be seen whether more features will be released as part of Tinder's rebrand.
Toronto Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Tinder revamp aimed at Gen Zers who 'don't have as much sex'
Tinder's reputation as a 'hookup app' will be a thing of the past if the app's new chief executive has his way. Photo by iStock / GETTY IMAGES Tinder's reputation as a 'hookup app' will be a thing of the past if the app's new chief executive has his way. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Tinder revolutionized dating for a generation of millennials upon its launch in 2012, but it has been losing appeal among members of the Gen Z demographic, or people aged 18-28, not including those too young to download dating apps. Now, Spencer Rascoff is hoping to win over Gen Zers who he says 'don't have as much sex.' 'This generation of Gen Z, 18 to 28 — it's not a hookup generation. They don't drink as much alcohol, they don't have as much sex,' the 49-year-old chief executive of Tinder owner Match Group, told investors this month, per the New York Post . 'We need to adapt our products to accept that reality,' added Rascoff, the co-founder and former CEO of real estate marketplace Zillow. The company wants to create low-pressure ways for people to meet on the app, such as a 'double dating' feature, to win over Gen Zers. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The feature allows users to pair up with friends and match with other pairs for dates. It will be launched globally this summer, Rascoff told the Wall Street Journal . Tinder has been testing 'double dating' in Europe and has seen positive results. Rascoff took the top job at Match Group, which owns Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid, a few months ago, and has said that fixing Tinder is his main concern. He recently announced that he'd be stepping in to lead Tinder, too, after Faye Iosotaluno posted on LinkedIn that she will depart in June after less than two years on the job. Recommended video In an internal memo, Rascoff asked staffers to speed up product changes, leverage artificial intelligence and focus on improving user safety, according to the Journal. Employees should focus on improving the user experience, even if it comes at the expense of short-term revenue, he said. 'Users don't want more matches, they want better ones,' he said in the memo. Gen Zers have left the platform in search of dating apps that could lead to more lasting relationships. Among 500 dating app users, about 85% said they didn't use Tinder because of its association with 'hookups,' according to a 2023 Wells Fargo survey. Sports Editorial Cartoons Columnists Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Tinder's new CEO wants to shed its hookup rep for Gen Z
It's no secret that singles have been disenchanted with dating apps lately. Users complain that apps are copying each other with similar features and encourage bad behavior like ghosting, and they're trying to branch out into IRL activities instead (even dungeon sound baths). Tinder's upcoming CEO, Spencer Rascoff, seems well aware of these feelings. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Rascoff — currently CEO of Tinder's parent company, Match Group — said he wants to change the app and its reputation. SEE ALSO: Comparing AI features for Bumble, Hinge, and Tinder "Think of Tinder like a bar where people come together to meet new people," he told the Wall Street Journal. "We have to innovate to drive more people into our establishment, and that means renovating our bar." Rascoff told investors last month that Gen Z isn't into hookups, and Tinder needs to adapt to this reality, the Wall Street Journal reported. Young adults are having less sex and drinking less than their older peers were at their age, Rascoff cited. Featured Video For You How Tinder and other dating apps use algorithms to find your match — Horny on Main Tinder has long been known as the "hookup app," even blamed for the "dating apocalypse" as far back as 2015. Dating apps have undoubtedly changed the way people meet each other: according to a 2023 Pew Research Center study, around one in 10 partnered adults in the U.S. met their partner on a dating app or site, and that number doubles for people under 30 and LGBTQ people. But dating apps are also regularly blamed for the culture around casual sex and superficial judgments of people. When someone has an abundance of choice with gamified dating, they may forget that behind the profile is a person. As Mashable previously reported, trust in dating apps has waned in recent years. Match Group was sued last year for claims that the apps are "predatory" and "addictive." (The lawsuit has since been sent to arbitration.) Rascoff is taking over for current Tinder CEO Faye Iosotaluno, who posted on LinkedIn last week that she'll step down in July 2025, after eight years at Match Group. Rascoff will lead both Match Group and Tinder. His plan is to lean into AI features and implement new product changes quickly, especially safety features. According to the Wall Street Journal, Rascoff wants an improved user experience even at the expense of short-term revenue. "Revenue growth matters, but it is an output of audience growth and improved user results," Rascoff shared in a LinkedIn post about Tinder's product principles moving forward. One of them is "failing fast": "We're making big bets, and that means we will undoubtedly make mistakes. What matters is how fast we learn and how we use failure to fuel what's next." It's uncertain whether these adjustments will change Tinder's public image, as the app has added more features for those looking for love in recent years. But given Gen Z's penchant for the internet, Tinder is likely here to stay.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Tinder's New Chief Is Out to Change Its Hookup-App Reputation
Tinder, the app that revolutionized online dating for millennials, is falling flat with Gen Z. Its new leader wants to change that. His plan? Shake off Tinder's reputation as a site to go to mostly for hookups. North Korea Infiltrates U.S. Remote Jobs—With the Help of Everyday Americans Wall Street Bets the Worst of Trump's Trade War Is Behind It GM Invests in V-8 Engines as It Backpedals on EVs The End of Southwest's 'Bags Fly Free' Threatens Its On-Time Record The Self-Driving Truck Startup That Siphoned Trade Secrets to Chinese Companies 'Think of Tinder like a bar where people come together to meet new people,' Spencer Rascoff, chief executive of Tinder parent Match Group, said in an interview. 'We have to innovate to drive more people into our establishment, and that means renovating our bar.' Just a few months into running Match, Rascoff said last week that he would take on the top job at Tinder, too. Faye Iosotaluno, appointed as Tinder's CEO last year, wrote on LinkedIn that she would step down in July. Rascoff, 49, laid out his vision for the app in an internal memo late Tuesday. He called on staff to speed up new product changes, leverage artificial intelligence and bake in features that boost user safety. Employees should focus on improving people's experiences on the app, even at the expense of short-term revenue, he said. 'Users don't want more matches, they want better ones,' Rascoff wrote in the memo viewed by The Wall Street Journal. Tinder's team is also creating low-pressure ways for people to meet on the app, aimed at wooing Gen Z. One example: Tinder has been testing a 'double dating' feature in Europe where users can pair up with friends and match with other pairs for dates. Early results have been encouraging, and the feature will be rolled out globally on Tinder this summer, Rascoff said. Rascoff has said that fixing Tinder, which makes up more than half of Match's revenue, is one of his biggest priorities. 'This generation of Gen Z, 18 to 28—it's not a hookup generation. They don't drink as much alcohol, they don't have as much sex,' he told investors this month. 'We need to adapt our products to accept that reality.' Rascoff, co-founder and of home-listing portal Zillow Group, explained more of his vision for Tinder and Match's other apps such as Hinge in an onstage interview in New York at the Journal's Future of Everything event Wednesday. Better technology can make online dating more enjoyable, Rascoff said. The company has rolled out a feature that prompts users to reconsider their messages to a match if it detects that the message might be off color or distasteful. 'We pop a prompt that says, 'Are you sure you really want to send this?'' Rascoff said. 'Many tens of thousands of times a day, that little speed bump that we introduced improves the way people behave.' When Tinder made its debut nearly 13 years ago, the app changed online dating. With a simple swipe, users could express interest in a match. Millennials embraced it, and growth soared. Tinder became a top dating app in dozens of countries worldwide. But the pandemic boom in dating apps has since waned, and Gen Z users appear more skeptical of online dating. Some users have grown fatigued of swiping, bemoaning a rise in bad etiquette such as 'ghosting' or fake accounts. Others simply prefer meeting people through in-person gatherings such as running clubs. Match has been contending with pressure from activist investors to increase sales and revive its growth. The company this month said it would cut 13% of its workers, or about 325 employees, a move estimated to save $100 million annually. The cuts will also reduce management layers, including around one in five managers overall. The less bureaucratic approach extends to Tinder. Rascoff said he wants employees working on the Tinder app to operate in small product pods instead of large teams. 'Small teams are more nimble than large ones,' he wrote in the memo, 'and can innovate rapidly with accountability.' Write to Chip Cutter at Vail Resorts Shakes Up Leadership After Rocky Ski Season Salesforce Strikes $8 Billion Deal for Informatica Salesforce Deal Buys It Some Time in AI Race Chevron Gets Narrow License to Preserve Oil Assets in Venezuela General Mills Expects $130 Million in Charges from Transformation Initiative Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
New York Post
6 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
New Tinder CEO wants to revamp dating app for Gen Zers who ‘don't have as much sex'
Tinder's new chief executive wants to revamp the dating platform and its reputation as a 'hookup app' — a bid to win over Gen Zers who he says 'don't have as much sex.' After launching in 2012, Tinder revolutionized dating for a generation of millennials. But it's been falling flat among members of Gen Z, or people aged 18 to 28, not including those too young to download dating apps. 'This generation of Gen Z, 18 to 28 – it's not a hookup generation. They don't drink as much alcohol, they don't have as much sex,' Spencer Rascoff, 49, chief executive of Tinder owner Match Group, told investors this month. 4 Match Group and Tinder CEO Spencer Rascoff speaks onstage during a Wall Street Journal event. Getty Images 'We need to adapt our products to accept that reality,' added Rascoff, the co-founder and former CEO of real estate marketplace Zillow. The company is focused on creating low-pressure ways for people to meet on the app, like a 'double dating' feature, to win over Gen Zers. This feature, which allows users to pair up with friends and match with other pairs for dates, will be rolled out globally this summer, Rascoff told The Wall Street Journal. Tinder has been testing 'double dating' in Europe and seen positive results. Rascoff took the helm at Match Group, which owns Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid, just a few months ago, and has said that fixing Tinder is his main concern. He's taking a hands-on approach. Last week, he announced that he'd be stepping in to lead Tinder, too, after Faye Iosotaluno posted on LinkedIn that she will depart in June after less than two years on the job. In an internal memo sent late Tuesday, Rascoff called on staffers to speed up product changes, leverage artificial intelligence and focus on improving user safety, according to the Journal. 4 Tinder has been testing a 'double dating' feature in Europe that will be rolled out globally this summer. REUTERS Employees should focus on improving the user experience, even if it comes at the expense of short-term revenue, he said. 'Users don't want more matches, they want better ones,' he said in the memo. That's certainly true for Gen Zers, who have fled the platform in search of dating apps that could lead to more lasting relationships. Among 500 dating app users, about 85% said they didn't use Tinder because of its association with 'hookups,' according to a 2023 Wells Fargo survey. Growth on Hinge – also owned by Match Group – has outpaced that of Tinder, with daily active users jumping 17% in 2024 from the year before, according to a note by Wells Fargo analysts. Tinder, meanwhile, saw a 10% decrease over the same period. 4 Faye Iosotaluno at the 4th Annual Gold Gala in May. Getty Images for Gold House 'Tinder has fought with – has been fighting with – a perception problem,' Ken Gawrelski, a Wells Fargo analyst, told Fortune at the time. Meanwhile, Match Group has seen several leadership shakeups over the past few years. Rascoff was only appointed Match Group's new chief executive in February, succeeding Bernard Kim, who gave up the role after less than three years as activist investors started to build up stakes in the company. 4 Spencer Rascoff (right) speaks onstage during a Wall Street Journal event on Wednesday. Getty Images It was announced last month that Match Group's chief technology officer would be stepping down at the end of May. A replacement was not immediately named. In March 2024, Match Group appointed two new members to its board and signed an agreement with Elliott Management after the activist fund reportedly bought a $1 billion stake in the company. Starboard Value and Anson Funds have also amassed stakes in Match Group and pushed for changes that could cut costs and improve the dating conglomerate's margins. Rascoff has been leading a turnaround effort at the company, announcing a 13% workforce reduction earlier this month. The bulk of the cuts hit Tinder. Executives are hoping to return Tinder to revenue growth, though Iosotaluno in December warned investors that this goal wouldn't be reached until 2027.
