A Letter From Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bumble Founder and CEO
When I founded Bumble, it was because I saw a problem I wanted to help solve. It was 2014, but so many of the smart, wonderful women in my life were still waiting around for men to ask them out, to take their numbers, or to start up a conversation on a dating app. For all the advances women had been making in workplaces and corridors of power, the gender dynamics of dating and romance still seemed so outdated. I thought, what if I could flip that on its head? What if women made the first move, and sent the first message?
Nearly six years and countless Bumble weddings and babies later, we’re a community of over 100 million across six continents. We’ve celebrated 1.5 billion first moves. And we’re just getting started.
Bumble has now grown far beyond a dating app into a networking platform, allowing people of all genders to make empowered connections in all areas of their lives, whether that means you’re seeking a romantic relationship on Bumble Date, making new friendships on Bumble BFF, or growing your professional network on Bumble Bizz.
Since 2017, the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have put sexual harassment and gender discrimination at the center of the cultural conversation. I’m more dedicated than ever to helping advance gender equality — and putting an end to the misogyny that still plagues society. We don’t tolerate hate speech or bad behavior of any sort; Bumble is a platform rooted in kindness and respect.
In 2020, as the U.S. faces a long-overdue reckoning with centuries of anti-black racism, we’re committed to ensuring our activism is truly intersectional. Black Lives Matter at Bumble, on our platform and across our business, today and always.
Bumble has also been making moves to better protect our community and the wider online world at large from harassment. In 2019, we worked to help pass a law against sending unsolicited nude images in our home state, Texas. We also added a new feature that automatically blurs a nude image sent on our platform; you can then decide if you’d like to see it or not. Your safety on our app is paramount. I want nothing more than for your connections to be both meaningful and healthy.
Get Bumbling, and thanks for reading,
WWH