ABSTRACT

Tinder, a dating platform which utilizes a geographic location matching algorithm to find potential matches for its users, was co-founded by Sean Rad, Jonathan Badeen, Justin Mateen, Joe Munoz, Dinesh Moorjani, Chris Gylczynski, and Whitney Wolfe in 2012. Although Tinder was one of 45 companies in Match Group’s portfolio, it had certainly received more publicity than any of its dating app counterparts. Since its inception, Tinder’s reputation had been plagued with both internal and external strife. Tinder’s efforts to revitalize its brand reputation will truly be tested with co-founder Rad leaving his position as CEO and with the entry of new corporate leadership. On the one hand, the maturing face of Tinder with an experienced CEO may add credibility to its name. On the other hand, there are concerns that Tinder’s changing brand image into a more culturally aware and socially acceptable dating app will cannibalize other companies within Match Group’s portfolios.