“Guess who’s back…back again?” Whitney Wolfe Herd, of course. Bumble, the second most downloaded dating app in the world, announced January 16 that the founder and former CEO will resume her place at the helm of the company, while current CEO Lidiane Jones will step away from the position for personal reasons, effective mid-March 2025. These changes come about during a turbulent time for the digital dating space characterized by societal frustrations with the online connection experience and shifting attitudes toward the dating world in general.
The Ol’ Switcheroo
This leadership transition marks a bold moment in Bumble’s history, but, luckily, it won’t be Wolfe Herd’s first rodeo. Wolfe Herd, who founded the company in 2014 with a vision for creating a dating app where women make the first move, was also the original CEO, but later moved into the Executive Chair role where she carried out more “big picture” initiatives. During this time, Lidiane Jones, former CEO of Slack, took her place.
Jones’ reign was short but certainly not uneventful. Over the course of her year as CEO, the company was faced with some bad press, and subsequently a 54% drop in stock value due in large part to the company’s choice to allow men to engage with women first on their app. Considering that its women-first approach was this tech company’s claim to fame, I can’t say I’m all that surprised.
Wolfe Herd’s return to the CEO chair, however, appears to be a signal to everyone watching that the company is attempting to right its wrongs — or at least is trying to recommit to its roots. Time will tell if Bumble is able to course-correct.
Bumble’s Backlash
Consumers are demanding more from the companies they invest in, and one bad move can earn you a stamp with a big, red “C” (for “canceled”). That’s why it’s more important than ever for organizational execs to keep their finger on the pulse of consumer attitudes. The controversy started in early 2024 when Bumble did what many app users never thought they would: revoke the feature allowing only women to message first. The app, perhaps in an attempt to draw in more users, released a statement announcing its new feature “Opening Moves.” With this change, women can add a question prompt to their profile to which potential matches can respond — questions like: “Who is your dream dinner guest (real or fictional)?” and “What’s your ideal first date?”
In the official statement, Bumble tried to get ahead of the anticipated criticism by pointing out: “It’s our new way to make sure that women are still in the driver’s seat, but now with the choice as to how the conversation starts.”
Some users welcomed the change, while many others expressed frustration. After a scroll through Reddit (what I often consider the real finger on the pulse), a couple of comments about the new feature stood out to me:
“Do they think that dudes won’t just type the same weird sh*t they do on other apps instead of answering the question? Someone please explain to me how this is a good idea, because I genuinely don’t see it.” — CaptColten
“Might as well call themselves Hinge while they’re at it.” – New-Layer-6322
“I don’t like it…Online dating is a time consuming numbers game for a man, and Bumble was a great alternative with the women messaging first feature…” — trichocereusnitrogen
This is, of course, far too small a sample size to represent the expressed sentiment of Bumble users. But when we look back to the 54% drop in market value, we are confronted with a blinding truth: numbers don’t lie.
This Ain’t Covid Anymore: Changing Landscape in Digital Dating
The choice to get rid of the very feature that drew in millions of hopefuls looking for a change in the mid 2010s — and millions more seeking connection during the height of Covid — was an interesting but (hear me out) understandable one.
Scores of dating apps have experienced a drastic decline in users in the years following the global crisis that, for better or for worse, pushed online dating to the forefront of the relationship world.. Online love-seekers everywhere are reporting a sense of exhaustion, frustration, and even disenchantment with the virtual dating process — all symptoms of what sociologists are now calling “dating app fatigue.” Turns out, having the world at your fingertips isn’t as fun as we had hoped.
To reclaim power over their mental health and, for many, their wallets, singles everywhere are taking a break from all the swiping and choosing other ways to find love, including joining running clubs or climbing gyms, organizing park hangs, and other in-person activities.
What does this mean for apps like Bumble, Tinder, and Hinge, who have been running the online dating game for the past two decades? It means they’re going to be pulling out all the stops to keep their heads above water. Hence, the choice to bail on its flagship offering and introduce “Opening Moves.”
To make matters worse, Bumble went live with an anti-celibacy campaign a few months later, which sparked outrage among its users and the general public. The campaign involved a series of billboards with messaging attempting to counter the wave of 4b movement talk by young feminists fed up with the unequal emotional and physical labor present in heterosexual relationships. For example, among the most rage-inducing billboards were two that read:
“You know full well a vow of celibacy is not the answer.”
“Thou shalt not give up on dating and become a nun.”
Many saw these billboards as highly distasteful, and eventually, after an onslaught of angry tweets, Bumble removed and apologized for the ads.
I guess women don’t like being shamed into doing something they don’t want to do.6478
There’s Something We Can Learn From This
These pretty big “oopsies” resulted in millions lost for Bumble, but for the rest of the digital dating players, they served as highly teachable moments. First, we’ve learned that straying too far from your brand’s core identity is playing with fire, and innovation for the sake of innovation isn’t always the right move. Secondly, we learned the value of reading the room. At the end of the day, these platforms are supposed to be helping people — and that’s kind of difficult to do if those people are pissed off.
The third lesson may be that leadership stability is the key to navigating volatile times, but that’s something we’ll have to discover as the next several years unfold. With the app at a crossroads, it will be up to Wolfe Herd to lead the company back to its roots and give users a reason to trust the platform again.
Fingers crossed, Bumble. Our hearts are in your hands.