Grindr has a new boss daddy with big ambitions.
George Arison will assume the role of CEO for the “dating” app, ahead of a plan to take the company public.
That’ll be to the tune of a $2.1 billion valuation range, and that’s a lot of zeroes.
Arison is gay and will be one of the few gay men leading a public company (we see you Tim Cook).
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
NBC News reports Arison “led a taxi-hailing app before he started his own company nearly a decade ago, has been on Grindr’s board of directors since May.”
Related: How to get unbanned from Grindr
“Arison will take over on Oct. 19 as Grindr prepares to go public by merging with a special purpose acquisition company,” NBC News added. “In a statement Tuesday, Arison called Grindr, which had about 11 million monthly active users around the world last year, an ‘unbelievable business.'”
Arison “will take the wheel as the app reckons in the immediate term with its role in addressing the outbreak of monkeypox,” NBC said.
Grindr was launched in 2009 by tech entrepreneur Joel Simkhai. One of the first geosocial networking sites on the market, it benefited from the explosion in smartphone use and quickly became one of the most popular dating apps for gay and bisexual men.
RIGay
And a 10% discount to GOP Legislators!
Brian
The success of this company mystifies me. I’ve lived in a couple of different cities over the last ~10 years, and everywhere I go, more than 90% of the profiles are fake. The other 10% are just people who say “hey” a bunch of times and can’t write a whole sentence or make any plans.
NEGay69
Yupp and they do nothing about it! It’s sad when spammers have to hit social apps too.
Consider This
Grindr is a dating app? Really? DATING? That’s not the way I understood it.
still_onthemark
This writer at least put “dating” in quotes! Queerty in the past has referred to Grindr as a dating app, no quotes, unironically.
NEGay69
?? I love the ones coming on their not realizing this. And being mad at the taps, which are literally designed for a reason.
bachy
I’ve never joined Grindr, but I must say that the Grindr scene in NETFLIX Uncoupled was utterly hilarious! Does it really work that way???
hwgusn
Most of the time, yes.
LilOralYankee
Perhaps the app just might have the chance to be taken “seriously”. Reall tired of all the bots, fakes and flakes on grindr and similar app, I mean grow the heck up geez ha.
Lobeskc
Dating app! That’s a good one…ha ha ha ha