The West Hollywood-based company, Grindr, experienced a significant reduction in staff after announcing in August that employees would have to return to the office. Viewing this as an opportunity rather than a setback, the well-known LGBTQ+ oriented social and dating app is using this as a chance to reshape itself. The staff exodus allowed the company to employ people who shared Grindr’s hard-working ethos, said Grindr’s CEO, George Arison. The company is especially keen on recruiting artificial intelligence specialists to prepare for the future.
In August, Grindr informed its staff that they will need to be present at the office twice a week. Employees were allocated to specific “hub” cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C. Arison noted that employees were given a choice to either follow the new policy or leave the company with a “generous” severance package. Nearly half of Grindr’s 174 employees at that time, that is around 80 people, chose to leave, as per the Communications Workers of America union. This year, other tech companies, including Meta and Amazon.com Inc., also introduced return-to-office policies, after having earlier allowed remote work.
Employing dedicated staff
Grindr has about 13 million monthly active users and since its introduction in 2009, has played an important role in the LGBTQ+ community. To assist those users, Arison stated that the company’s goal is to hire dedicated employees who are eager to further Grindr’s mission of helping queer individuals form connections. He said that this would help to increase productivity and effectiveness.
This decision comes after a unionization request was submitted to the National Labor Relations Board by approximately 100 Grindr employees in June. Grindr United, the employee group, demanded that Grindr maintain existing benefits, including remote work. Since the hybrid model was revealed by the company, the Communications Workers of America union filed a complaint alleging that the company “unlawfully silenced workers trying to discuss their working conditions.”
Erick Cortez, a Grindr United member, expressed concern that the policy and severance agreements have left the company severely understaffed, jeopardizing the app’s security and stability. Nevertheless, Grindr refuted the union’s allegations, stating that they had “no merit” and expressing complete faith in its team to manage and develop the company.
Gaining advantage from layoffs
According to Rory Bebbington, CEO of Marina del Rey-based recruitment firm Fabric Staffing, returning to the office without losing employees may have been more difficult two years ago, but recent industry-wide layoffs provide executives leverage. However, he also indicated that it might be challenging to find employees who are in line with Arison’s vision.
Among the current vacancies are roles in product design, engineering, marketing, and information security. Despite the criticism about the return-to-office policy, competitive pay and a focus on the LGBTQ+ community attract new employees to this profitable venture. A former Grindr employee, Rowan Rosenthal, critiqued the workplace changes, particularly because numerous companies practicing remote work have reported record profits.
According to Arison, Grindr is concurrently undergoing a rebuilding and expansion phase. He intends to restore, or perhaps even expand, the workforce to its previous size. Furthermore, Grindr plans to continue its hiring spree, a strategy backed by its optimistic second-quarter earnings report.
Focusing on AI
As Grindr continues to reconstruct its workforce, a key focus is on recruiting AI experts. For instance, Solmaz Torbaghan was appointed as the director of AI and machine learning in September. Previously, AI was only applied for security purposes at Grindr, but now it is expanding its AI capabilities for user-facing tools as well.
George Arison, CEO of Grindr.
Arison pointed out that users’ private messages often reveal more about their personalities than their public profiles. With users’ consent, Grindr’s AI could leverage their messaging and matching patterns to create better matches.
AI has become omnipresent among technology-based companies. In line with this, Grindr’s AI initiative is taking place simultaneously with similar projects in other major apps. Match Group, the parent company of several leading dating platforms, is using AI to improve profile creation.
As it copes with the aftermath of staff departures and AI development, Grindr strives to hire employees who are committed to its mission. Backed by its positive second-quarter financial results, the company plans to fuel its growth and competitive edge among other dating apps.
