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Match Group CEO admits dating apps feel too much like ‘a numbers game’ so he’s asking employees for ‘unvarnished feedback’ on how to improve Hinge and Tinder

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  • Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff posted an open letter on LinkedIn admitting his company’s dating apps are falling short and don’t feel like places “to build real connections.” He’s now calling on Match employees to offer feedback on how to best improve their apps like Hinge and Tinder.

Finding love on dating apps has felt so bleak one user told Fortune that Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble feel like a “wasteland.” 

“I think the user pool on a lot of these apps has declined,” Max Gomez, a Gen Z communications professional, previously told Fortune. “Gen Z is just simply not using these [apps] as much anymore.”

Match Group’s new CEO admitted as much in a letter posted Thursday on LinkedIn, saying the company’s dating apps like Hinge and Tinder haven’t been up to snuff. 

“Too often, our apps have felt like a numbers game rather than a place to build real connections, leaving people with the false impression that we prioritize metrics over experience,” wrote Spencer Rascoff, Zillow’s former CEO who took the top job at Match Group in February. “That needs to change.”

In his letter, Rascoff called on employees to confidentially share their “unvarnished feedback” on products to help improve the apps. 

“We know that listening to users isn’t enough—we need to move with urgency and increased accountability,” Rascoff wrote, adding Match Group would be “increasing expectations around in-office collaboration” to make changes happen faster. Rascoff has been revered for the company culture he created during his time at Zillow.

Match Group declined to provide further comment on Rascoff’s letter.

Analysts have been warning about the downfalls of dating app companies like Match Group and Bumble for a while. Although Bank of America analysts said in a Feb. 5 note Rascoff’s appointment could be a positive for the company, “the online dating industry faces continued headwinds to user growth.” 

Global users for dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge declined 6% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to Bank of America research. During the past five years, Match Group stock has tanked nearly 70%, plus the “overall sentiment on dating apps largely remains negative,” according to a Jan. 28 analyst note from Citi. However, Match Group total revenue grew 3% year-over-year to $3.5 billion, according to the company’s earnings report on Feb. 4. 

Some younger people have also ditched dating apps entirely, yearning for real-life meet-ups instead. 

“I don’t want to just be chatting people online,” Louise Mason, a millennial marketing specialist from Doncaster, U.K., previously told Fortune. “I don’t want a penpal.”

Rascoff feels users’ pain.

“I’ve heard incredible stories of love,” he wrote. “But I’ve also heard frustration—from users searching for real, meaningful matches and expecting more from the experience.”

Better product offerings could help Match Group climb out of its slump. Citi analysts noted they’re watching for new products and updates that could improve Match Group’s performance and outlook.

“Improved product development is critical in our view to improve underlying user trends long-term,” Citi analysts said. 

Rascoff said Match Group is on top of product updates and developments in his letter shared on LinkedIn.

“Transformation is already underway,” Rascoff wrote, adding Hinge, Tinder, and other brands in its portfolio are finding new ways to implement AI into product development.

“But it’s not about technology alone,” he added. “Our people, our culture, and our deep commitment to our mission will be the driving force behind this transformation.” 

Analysts from Wolfe Research also appear optimistic about changes Rascoff could usher in as the new CEO of Match Group.

“We believe investors will welcome his communication style and cadence favorably,” Wolfe Research analysts wrote in a Feb. 5 note. “A lot depends on successful execution this year, and the company now has another chance to prove out its strategy.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



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U.S. crypto czar’s $200 million portfolio held Bitcoin, Coinbase, and Robinhood

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David Sacks and his investment firm Craft Ventures have divested more than $200 million in crypto holdings since President Donald Trump named Sacks as the White House’s AI and crypto czar, according to a Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, according to the memo. Sacks also held stock in the online brokerage Robinhood and the crypto exchange Coinbase. And he was a limited partner in the marquee crypto venture capital funds Multicoin Capital and Blockchain Capital, along with 90 other VCs.

While Sacks has divested most of his crypto holdings, he and Craft Ventures still hold equity in a suite of companies. His shares of the crypto custody firm BitGo and the Bitcoin protocol developer Lightning Labs are worth about 2.5% and 1.1% of his total assets, respectively, according to the memo. The government, however, has agreed to waive any conflicts of interest regarding Sacks and Craft Ventures’ ongoing stakes in crypto companies.

“I sold all my cryptocurrency (including BTC, ETH, and SOL) prior to the start of the administration,” Sacks said in a post on X earlier in March. 

He and his firm Craft Ventures did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dated March 5, the memo on Sacks’ interests in the crypto industry follows social media rumblings that the AI and crypto czar risked mixing his own business with the government’s crypto dealings. After Trump posted in early March that certain cryptocurrencies, including Solana, would be included in a national crypto reserve, critics said that Sacks was boosting his own portfolio.

And more naysayers came out against Sacks once Trump officially authorized the creation of a strategic Bitcoin reserve and a digital assets stockpile later that week. “This is a direct transfer of wealth from the U.S. treasury to David Sacks and other crypto barons,” said Ryan Grim, who runs a popular account on X and a politics newsletter. 

Sacks countered that he had divested much of his cryptocurrency holdings, and crypto executives came to his defense. “He is doing tremendous work and will not be sharing in any of the economic upside to avoid even the slightest appearance of a conflict,” Cameron Winklevoss, cofounder of the crypto exchange Gemini, posted on X.

Trump named Sacks as his AI and crypto czar in December. The then incoming president said Sacks, who is a former executive at PayPal, would guide policy on the regulation of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



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Elon Musk’s Tesla reportedly halts Cybertruck deliveries as owners complain of metal sides falling off

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  • The glue holding the pickup truck’s stainless steel exterior in place is failing for many Tesla customers, causing its sides to protrude. It’s the latest of numerous instances of build quality issues with the Cybertruck, a once-promising vehicle now beset by problems.

In the the latest sign the Tesla Cybertruck risks becoming Elon Musk’s first full-blown flop, sales of the pickup have been halted amid growing cases of metal panelling falling off. 

On Thursday, EV enthusiast site Electrek reported Tesla delivery agents as saying all outbound vehicles have been stopped amid concerns that the glue holding the exterior stainless steel panelling in place is failing. 

The issue isn’t new but it has remained unaddressed. Owners living in cold weather conditions in particular have been warning about it for weeks, posting images of sharp-edged metal trim protruding from their vehicles and flapping in the wind while driving. Some have even taken to reporting the problem to the federal traffic safety authority NHTSA, Road & Track reported last month.

But an image circulated recently showing the entire front bumper dangling loosely from the body may have tipped the scale.

Tesla did not respond to Fortune‘s request for comment.

The Cybertruck has been dogged with issues ever since it came out, with multiple recalls to fix not just software but actual build problems, including an accelerator pedal that caused accidents when it stuck in place or plastic trim around the bed flying off

But the first truly vivid display of the questionable quality came from Cody Detwiler, a YouTuber who goes by the name WhistlinDiesel. He first gave Tesla owners a glimpse of just how easy it was to damage the vehicle after putting the Cybertruck through the paces in a durability test that went viral. 

‘I know more about manufacturing than anyone currently alive’

Early adopters who have been buying Teslas over the past decade knows this risk comes with the territory when an all-new model first rolls out, especially one with such unique engineering. 

Fortune interviewed one of these customers last year, who remained loyal to the brand and a fan of the truck throughout his otherwise hellish experience with the vehicle. 

But concerns continue to grow. Just this week Tesla was criticized for ditching durable steel in favor of lighter aluminum for the truck’s casted frame. This subjects it to stress over time, raising the possibility of catastrophic failure when towing loads within specification. 

This risks the truck not living up to the standards of the demanding Musk, who has called his factories the “hottest Tesla product” and elevated manufacturing to a brand differentiator.

“At this point I think I know more about manufacturing than anyone currently alive on earth,” the Tesla CEO told a TED Talk three years ago, when the truck was being engineered.

Demand ‘so far off the hook, you can’t even see the hook’

According to Cox Automotive, sales failed to top 39,000 last year despite having installed capacity to build over 125,000. Now Tesla’s offering low financing rates of 2% to move metal and buffing off the badges on Foundation Series vehicles that failed to find a buyer at launch.

While it is still outselling any other EV pickup truck, the Cybertruck can be considered a flop already given its lofty expectations. Shortly before the truck launched, Musk said demand was “so far off the hook you can’t even see the hook” and reservations were taken for almost 2 million trucks.

Despite its numerous problems, the Cybertruck could receive a sales boost in the coming weeks and months. For one, the $80,000 all-wheel drive version is expected to qualify for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit before it expires.

President Trump is also coming to Tesla’s aid, publicly encouraging Americans to buy Musk’s cars and trucks as a show of support for his administration.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



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One-day tickets to Universal’s Epic Universe are now on sale: Here’s what it will cost to get into Florida’s newest big theme park

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  • One-day tickets for Universal’s Epic Universe have gone on sale. A one-day ticket will cost $139, but you won’t be able to use it until a week-and-a-half after the park opens. Epic Universe is set to open on May 22.

Universal Orlando is just over two months away from welcoming guests to its Epic Universe, a major expansion that is taking the central Florida theme park wars to a new level. And fans who want to visit finally have the chance to buy a ticket.

Universal has opened up one-day ticket sales for Epic Universe. Until now, the only way to get an admission was buying a three-, four- or five-day pass, where all but one day had to be spent in other Universal theme parks, or to be an annual passholder.

A one-day adult ticket will run you $139, while children will pay $135 for a single-day pass. (Florida residents do not currently get a discount.) A two-day ticket is also available for $126.50 for adults ($121.50 for kids), but one of the two days must be spent in a park other than Epic Universe.

The park, which was originally scheduled to open in 2023, will open on May 22, but people who buy a one-day pass won’t be able to use it until June 1 or later.

Epic Universe is a $6 billion expansion by Universal meant to lure away more visitors from Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Disney, in response, has announced a major upgrade to its Orlando parks, part of a 10-year, $60 billion investment in parks and experiences.

Epic Universe will feature five different lands. Celestial Park will serve as the entry into Universal Epic Universe, with dining, shopping and three attractions, a carousel, a dual-launch coaster and interactive dancing fountains. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Ministry of Magic will present elements from both the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchises, and offer what is likely the most anticipated ride, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, which features the return of Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge.

Super Nintendo World will be a larger interactive Nintendo-themed world than the one in California, with a Donkey Kong-themed coaster where the car appears to jump over a gap. How to Train Your Dragon’s Isle of Berk will let you ‘ride’ a dragon and explore the Viking village at the heart of the story.

Finally, Dark Universe embraces Universal’s monster-movie history, with reimagined classic creatures, including Frankenstein, the Wolfman and Dracula.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



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