Bumble Bounces Back With AI Push and 40% Jump in Share Price

Don’t count Bumble out just yet. In a surprising turn of events, Bumble stock soared 40% in price after the dating app company reported positive gains.

This is one of my favorite kind of moments: When an underestimated company proves industry analysts wrong. The best way to describe analysts’ estimates of Bumble’s earnings is, well, “bleak”, with some even expecting a 16% dip.

But those estimates were blown away when Bumble announced fourth-quarter revenue of $224.2 million, which outperformed estimates of $221.3 million.

Bumble also managed to cut performance-marketing spend by a whopping 80% year on year, suggesting the company is starting to focus on organic growth rather than paid campaigns.

Bumble recently reported meaningful gains in contrast to analysts’ predictions. 

Until this revenue announcement, the company hasn’t had much good news to share since its 2021 IPO. In fact, Bumble has had a dark cloud hanging over its head for more than just a few quarters.

The 2020s have been a difficult time for the company, marked by frequent leadership changes (Whitney Wolfe Herd stepped away as CEO in 2023 only to return to the role in 2025), layoffs, revenue dips, and stock market disappointments.

It’s no coincidence that Bumble’s stock market surge comes less than 24 hours after Herd told investors about her company’s new AI push.

With Bee, Bumble Joins the AI Arms Race

Of course, Bumble isn’t the only app facing an uphill battle. Swipe fatigue and an overall decline in online dating has forced all dating apps to go back to the drawing board. When AI emerged, apps clung to it like a space-age life raft, and Bumble is no exception.

Bumble recently announced the launch of Bee, a new AI-powered assistant that will function as a personal matchmaker. Bee is a major part of what the company calls “Bumble 2.0,” a transformative version of Bumble designed for a new generation of daters.

In line with Gen Z’s yen for personalization, Bee will learn the user’s values, dating goals, and communication styles. The goal? For Bee to seamlessly guide users through the matching experience.

Bumble 2.0 is a new version of Bumble, designed for a new generation of daters.

As Bee is barely in beta testing, it will grow alongside the user. The idea is for Bee to power Bumble’s “Dates” recommendation feature before evolving into more of a coach role, which will have impact throughout more of the Bumble experience.

With Bee, Bumble joins other dating apps in creating innovative AI transformations, including Grindr’s Wingman (and its gAI experience) and Tinder’s Chemistry. But Bumble may take even more drastic steps to address”swipe fatigue”; to TechCrunch, Herd suggested Bumble may drop the swipe feature as we know it for good.

This is undoubtedly a good day for Bumble, but like other dating apps, it’s not out of the woods. It will need to provide consistent and meaningful innovation if it wants to stay afloat. If Bumble has proven anything over the last few years, it’s that resilience and the ability to evolve goes a long way with users — and with investors.