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Dating apps like Tinder and Bumble are neglecting their male users, Grindr CEO George Arison charged this week.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things that strikes me about how Bumble and Tinder approach the world is that frankly, they don\u2019t treat 70% of their users very well,\u201d Arison said in an interview with Polina Pompliano, founder of media company The Profile. The two were speaking at Fortune\u2019s annual Brainstorm Tech conference<\/a> in Park City, Utah.<\/p>\n Men outnumber women roughly 3-to-1 on both Bumble and Tinder, yet those apps don\u2019t try to improve or smooth men\u2019s often-awkward experience, Arison said. Even though men are the ones who more often pay for premium services, he said, their experience remains frustrating, leading many to quit online dating<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n That exodus pans out in research: 79% of college students and other Gen Zers\u00a0 \u2013 in the age group that is by far dating apps\u2019 largest audience<\/a> \u2013 are forgoing regular dating app usage for in-person interactions, according to an Axios and Generation Lab study<\/a> from October 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n In light of that decline, apps are \u201cmissing an opportunity\u201d to expand their audience, Arison said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou have this huge percentage of men who are looking to settle down and looking to find a partner, and they are very captive to the product when they\u2019re there. Why not build a lot of features for them?\u201d Arison asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n Arison\u2019s not alone in being puzzled. Connell Barrett, founder of coaching site Dating Transformation<\/a> and a popular dating advisor on Instagram<\/a>, told Fortune<\/em> that the features dating apps provide to men don\u2019t actually end up helping them. In his 20 years of advising men, he has never seen men be \u201cmore frustrated, fatigued, and just burnt out\u201d with dating apps than now, he said. He attributes this fatigue to an inequality in the app \u2013 about 20% of men are getting the majority of matches, a figure that a Hinge analyst leaked<\/a>, then quickly deleted, in 2017.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe ones who create a really good, compelling profile, they\u2019re getting most of the matches,\u201d Barrett said. \u201cThat means that 80% of the men are really struggling, and these are good, attractive, dateable, amazing men \u2013 I know because they\u2019re my clients \u2013 and so I would love to see the dating apps take a more democratic view on how to help them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n That help could come in the form of AI-generated<\/a> dating advice or a feature that allows men to talk to a dating therapist in the app, Barrett offered. Instead, apps utilize men\u2019s frustration for their own benefit, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dating apps\u2019 approach is, \u201cwe\u2019re going to ask you to upgrade to the top tier membership and give us more money, and maybe that will help you get more matches,\u201d Barrett said. \u201cBut that doesn\u2019t work. A problematic profile that is upgraded from gold to platinum is not going to be a more effective profile.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Users of all genders have accused apps like Hinge of \u201chiding\u201d the most attractive profiles, unless they pay for a premium service. Hinge\u2019s CEO denied that the app has an attractiveness score<\/a>, but the app does feature \u201cStandout\u201d profiles, which are the ones \u201cgetting the most attention\u201d and which a free user would have a harder chance of matching with. You can only reach out to one \u201cStandout\u201d a week, unless you decide to purchase more features.\u00a0<\/p>\n This gamification makes the dating pool more efficient, a Hinge executive said. But it could also be leading to the burnout that Barrett says is impacting men now more than ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n Initiatives like these prove that executives are only focused on women\u2019s experience<\/a>, according to Arison. In fact, he added that the way that executives talk about men on earnings calls with investors \u201cis actually really negative, to the point where they\u2019re offensive to them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not even their target audience,\u201d Arison \u2013 who is gay \u2013 said with a chuckle. \u201cBut still, as a guy, I\u2019m offended.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t expand more on what he heard on earnings calls. However, comments from a May earning call with Match Group<\/a> CEO Bernard Kim indicate an extensive focus on women\u2019s experience on dating apps while not mentioning male users.<\/p>\n \u201cGen Z and women, and women\u2019s experience in particular is our top priority,\u201d Kim said.\u00a0 \u201cThey are literally the most critical demographic for all dating apps. We know that women need to feel empowered and respected when they\u2019re on our apps.\u201d (Match Group owns Tinder, Hinge, OKCupid and other dating apps.)<\/p>\n Women report much higher rates of harassment on dating apps than men do, according to a 2020 Pew Research study<\/a>. But dating apps can improve women\u2019s experience, while also focusing on men, Arison said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou can make a great experience for someone without making a bad experience for someone else,\u201d Arison said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nMore money, more matches?<\/strong><\/h2>\n