A Quarter of Grindr Users Are There to Network

While many associate Grindr with hookups, new insights reveal that roughly 25% of its users are using the platform to network. George Arison, Grindr’s CEO, even revealed that he has hired people that he met on the app.

A Grindr spokesperson told Insider that “we know people use our app to meet new people in their area and in new towns, and we also have plenty of anecdotal evidence of people making connections that lead to professional opportunities like jobs”

In a different interview, Arison shared that the platform encourages users to network on the app, after he himself had professional relationships with people he met on the platform. 

While some features on the app are geared towards sex and relationships, Grindr does enable users to highlight that they’re looking for networking opportunities. However, a Grindr spokesperson said they would not be creating their own version of Bumble Bizz.

PinkNews shared multiple anecdotes from Grindr users of how they’ve used the app to network and explore professional opportunities. The newspaper notes that other dating apps like Tinder specifically want to foster personal connections, not professional ones.

However it seems that dating apps are increasingly being used for more than dating, especially with the news that two-thirds of Tinder users are in a relationship and using the app for social connections.

The future of the platonic social discovery industry looks bright if it can harness this new trend in its favour.