Bumble plans a reset to lure Gen Z back
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Whitney Wolfe Herd changed the way millions of people around the world found love when she created Bumble in 2014. Now, she says the novelty of online dating has worn off, and Bumble needs a major overhaul to survive.
Why it matters: Gen Z is burned out from online dating, but still eager to find connection. Herd thinks AI can bridge that gap.
Zoom in: Speaking to Axios last week in Los Angeles, Herd said Bumble is in the midst of a major reinvention, one that will fundamentally change the way users engage with the app.
- "It's time for a new interaction model," she said.
- "The revolutionary component of Bumble has worn off. Now people are feeling exhausted, they're feeling fatigued. They feel like the swipe has degraded their love lives."
State of play: Bumble is launching a new AI assistant within its app called "Bee" that will help users create and optimize their profiles to drive a stronger experience, Herd said.
- The app will not encourage AI-generated photos or messages, but rather "Our goal is to leverage AI to make love and connection more human," she said.
- "AI can help be a catalyst to them learning how to do it or making a few small tweaks that they didn't even realize were pertinent or relevant to how they could get some better outcomes."
How it works: The new app will also change some of the functionality that made Bumble a hit in the first place.
- Herd said Bumble is "saying goodbye to the swipe," which for years has been the cornerstone of online dating.
- It also "will not force one gender over another to do something first," which is notable considering that when Herd created Bumble, women were encouraged to make the first move among heterosexual matches.
- Instead, "we will be basically bottling the essence of what was always meant to be women making the first move — a confident experience, a safe experience, a dynamic experience — to get you offline in person on great dates and meetups."
- The app will also explore ways to facilitate group dates, and will double down on features like "Bumble BFF" that help users build non-romantic connections.
Zoom out: At the core of Bumble's shift is a push to create "a higher quality member base," one that's less spammy and more intentional, per Herd. For Bumble to be a success, it needs to help users eventually turn online interactions into real-world connections.
The big picture: Bumble isn't alone. Many major consumer apps, including X, Reddit and Airbnb, have all looked to increase user engagement long term by trying to reduce spammy users and accounts.
- In saturated markets like the U.S., users are craving a more authentic experience online.
- "I would say that there seems to be more cultural burnout in America and fatigue than there is in the rest of the world," Herd said, noting that it could be the antisocial behavior of social media.
