Online Dating

It’s said that you should practice what you preach. For dating app Hinge, that means supporting employees with an exceptionally on-brand workplace perk: a $200 monthly stipend to go on dates.

Companies are working harder and harder to attract and retain talented candidates. Sufficient compensation is a must, but employees are increasingly looking for positions that offer benefits beyond salary. Perks like free food and beverages in the office, flexible work hours, and gym reimbursements are practically standard for businesses in competitive industries, and startups are getting increasingly creative in their approach to employee benefits.

Hinge’s dating stipend is a unique addition to the company’s more familiar perks, which include weekly catered breakfasts and lunches, unlimited annual leave, and exercise benefits. Employees can use their monthly allowance anywhere in the United States to spark a new romance or nurture long-term love. After cashing in, they are encouraged to leave reviews of their experiences on the app to help Hinge members succeed in their own dating endeavors.

Tinder users can breathe easier this week. Following the Facebook hack that compromised 50 million user accounts, Tinder has announced there is "no evidence” to suggest its own accounts have been breached as a result.

On Friday, September 28, news of the hack broke. An unknown attacker, or attackers, exploited a weakness in the social network’s systems to take over millions of accounts, gaining access to their profiles, photos, friend lists and, possibly, private messages. More than 90 million users were logged out of their accounts by Facebook as a precaution, including the accounts of company CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg. It is one of the most significant cyber attacks in Facebook’s history.

"We do not yet know whether these accounts were misused but we are continuing to look into this and will update when we learn more," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a blog post published on Friday.

The battle between Bumble and Match Group is entering a new round, and Bumble is taking the gloves off. Nearly six months after countersuing Tinder’s parent company for $400 million in damages, Bumble has announced it is no longer open to settling privately. Match Group and Bumble are heading to court.

“We had considered a private opportunity to settle privately, and that’s something we’re no longer open to,” Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd told Fortune. “Now we are ready to take it to court.”

Match Group threw the first punch in March, filing a lawsuit alleging that Bumble “copied Tinder’s world-changing, card-swipe-based, mutual opt-in premise” and accusing two Tinder-turned-Bumble employees of violating their confidentiality agreements.

The dating industry has been remarkably restrained in its responses to Facebook’s upcoming dating service.

A spokesperson from Bumble described the company as “thrilled” to welcome its new competitor, and suggested that perhaps “Bumble and Facebook can join forces to make the connecting space even more safe and empowering.”

Joey Levin, chief executive at IAC, assured shareholders that “on the long list of things we worry about in our dating business, [Facebook] doesn't top the list."

Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg released a statement announcing that “Facebook’s entry will only be invigorating to all of us."

Tinder CEO Elie Seidman simply said he is “convinced” Tinder can “rise to the occasion.”

When it comes to dating apps, Andrey Andreev is no neophyte. The Russian entrepreneur is the founder of Badoo, an investor and advisor for Bumble, and a key player in the growth of Blendr, Huggle, and Chappy. He may be the industry’s most prolific matchmaker, and he’s making headlines again with new venture for senior singles.

Andreev and co-founders Antoine Argouges and Charly Lester have announced the launch of Lumen, a dating app specifically designed for singles over 50. Though it’s not the first dating service to target the underserved mature market, it hopes to best competitors by providing a modern and fun experience that knows what the niche is missing.

“Do a search of the phrase ‘over 50s dating’. The results that come up are embarrassing for the industry,” Andreev commented. “The over-50s have been mistreated by the dating sites for years. I’m excited to see the Lumen team launching an app which finally listens to this audience and specifically targets their issues and needs.”

In the wake of Grindr’s ‘Kindr’ initiative to stamp out sexual racism on its platform, two other gay dating apps are following suit.

UK-based Chappy recently announced a major relaunch and rebranding that includes both cosmetic changes and a zero tolerance policy for abuse. In a press statement, Chappy announced it has been working closely with Bumble on its redesign and strategy, which is focused on creating a safer and more inclusive space for gay and bisexual men to connect.

“At its heart, Chappy is engineered to empower gay men to form positive, healthy relationships based in kindness and mutual respect, and that’s something I’m extremely passionate about,” said Sam Dumas, Chappy’s Global Head of Brand as of August 2018. “Collaborating with tech titans like Andrey [Andreev, founder of Badoo and an investor in Bumble] and Whitney [Wolfe Herd, co-founder of Tinder and CEO of Bumble] is an incredible opportunity. I’m honored to be a part of what’s going to be an inspiring next chapter for the brand.”