Whitney Wolfe Herd: Difference between revisions

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| name        = Whitney Wolfe Herd
| name        = Whitney Wolfe Herd
| birth_name  = Whitney Wolfe
| birth_name  = Whitney Wolfe
| image        = TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco 2018 - day 2 (30647055838).jpg
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1989|07|01}}
| caption      = Wolfe Herd in 2018
| birth_place  = [[Salt Lake City, Utah]], U.S.
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1989|7|1}}
| birth_place  = [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]], U.S.
| nationality  = American
| nationality  = American
| education    = [[Southern Methodist University]] (BA)
| education    = [[Southern Methodist University]] (BA)
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| known_for    = Founder of [[Bumble (app)|Bumble]], co-founder of [[Tinder (app)|Tinder]]
| known_for    = Founder of [[Bumble (app)|Bumble]], co-founder of [[Tinder (app)|Tinder]]
| children    = 2
| children    = 2
| awards      = ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' 100 Most Influential People (2018)
}}
}}


'''Whitney Wolfe Herd''' (née '''Wolfe'''; born July 1, 1989) is an American entrepreneur and business executive who founded the dating application [[Bumble (app)|Bumble]], a platform that distinguished itself by requiring women to initiate conversation in heterosexual matches. Before launching Bumble, Wolfe Herd was a co-founder of the dating app [[Tinder (app)|Tinder]], where she served as Vice President of Marketing and played a central role in the app's early growth and brand strategy.<ref>{{cite news |date=2015-04-12 |title=Can Bumble's Whitney Wolfe be the queen of dating? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/12/bumble-dating-app-women-call-shots-whitney-wolfe |work=The Guardian |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Her departure from Tinder in 2014 was accompanied by a widely publicized sexual harassment lawsuit, after which she channeled her experiences into creating a new kind of social platform — one built around the principle that women should have the power to make the first move in online dating.<ref>{{cite news |date=2025-09-19 |title=The True Story Behind Swiped, Whitney Wolfe Herd, and the Birth of Bumble |url=https://time.com/7314564/swiped-true-story-whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble/ |work=Time |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Bumble grew rapidly under her leadership, and when the company went public in February 2021, Wolfe Herd became one of the youngest women to take a company public on a U.S. stock exchange.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2021-02-11 |title=Bumble IPO: CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd on BMBL stock, shares, and the app's initial public offering |url=https://fortune.com/2021/02/11/bumble-ipo-ceo-whitney-wolfe-herd-bmbl-stock-shares-interview-app-initial-public-offering/ |work=Fortune |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> She holds approximately 23 million shares in Bumble Inc. and has served as the company's founder, CEO, and executive chair.<ref>{{cite news |date=2025-05-10 |title='The Interview': Can Whitney Wolfe Herd Make Us Love Dating Apps Again? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/magazine/whitney-wolfe-herd-interview.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
'''Whitney Wolfe Herd''' (née '''Wolfe'''; born July 1, 1989) is an American entrepreneur and business executive who founded the dating application [[Bumble (app)|Bumble]] and serves as its chief executive officer and executive chair. Before launching Bumble, she was a co-founder and vice president of marketing at [[Tinder (app)|Tinder]], one of the first mobile dating platforms to popularize the swipe-based matching model. Wolfe Herd departed Tinder in 2014 and launched Bumble later that year, building the app around the core principle that women make the first move in heterosexual matches — a design choice intended to shift traditional gender dynamics in online dating.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2015-04-12 |title=Bumble, the dating app where women call the shots |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/12/bumble-dating-app-women-call-shots-whitney-wolfe |work=The Guardian |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Bumble grew into one of the largest dating platforms in the United States, and when the company went public in February 2021, Wolfe Herd became one of the youngest women to take a company public on a major American stock exchange.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2021-02-11 |title=Bumble IPO: CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd on BMBL stock, shares, and the app's initial public offering |url=https://fortune.com/2021/02/11/bumble-ipo-ceo-whitney-wolfe-herd-bmbl-stock-shares-interview-app-initial-public-offering/ |work=Fortune |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> In 2018, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' named her one of its 100 Most Influential People.<ref>{{cite web |title=Whitney Wolfe Herd: The 100 Most Influential People of 2018 |url=https://time.com/collection/most-influential-people-2018/5217594/whitney-wolfe-herd/ |publisher=Time |date=2018 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> After stepping back from the CEO role, Wolfe Herd returned to lead Bumble in 2025, announcing plans to reimagine the platform for a new generation of users.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2025-05-10 |title='The Interview': Can Whitney Wolfe Herd Make Us Love Dating Apps Again? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/magazine/whitney-wolfe-herd-interview.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


== Early Life ==
== Early Life ==


Whitney Wolfe was born on July 1, 1989, in [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Whitney Wolfe Herd: How she became the world's youngest female self-made billionaire |url=https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/whitney-wolfe-herd-became-worlds-youngest-female-self-made-billionaire/women-in-business/article/1707471 |publisher=Management Today |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> She grew up in the Salt Lake City area before eventually relocating to Texas for her higher education. Details about her family background and childhood remain relatively private; Wolfe Herd has spoken publicly in interviews primarily about her professional trajectory rather than her early upbringing.
Whitney Wolfe was born on July 1, 1989, in [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Whitney Wolfe Herd |url=https://atxwoman.com/whitney-wolfe/ |publisher=ATX Woman |date= |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> She grew up in Salt Lake City and attended school in Utah before pursuing higher education in Texas. From an early age, Wolfe demonstrated entrepreneurial instincts. While still a student at [[Southern Methodist University]] (SMU) in [[Dallas]], Texas, she launched a clothing line called Tender Heart, which sold bamboo tote bags to raise money for areas affected by the [[BP oil spill]] in the Gulf of Mexico.<ref>{{cite web |title=SMU senior Whitney Wolfe launches second business, clothing line Tender Heart |url=http://www.smudailycampus.com/news/smu-senior-whitney-wolfe-launches-second-business-clothing-line-tender-heart |publisher=SMU Daily Campus |date= |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The project attracted attention and demonstrated her ability to combine a social cause with a consumer product — a theme that would recur throughout her career.


While still a college student, Wolfe demonstrated entrepreneurial instincts. During her time at [[Southern Methodist University]] (SMU) in [[Dallas]], [[Texas]], she launched a clothing line called Tender Heart, which sold bamboo tote bags and T-shirts to raise money for areas affected by the 2010 [[Deepwater Horizon oil spill]] and other environmental causes.<ref>{{cite web |title=SMU senior Whitney Wolfe launches second business, clothing line Tender Heart |url=http://www.smudailycampus.com/news/smu-senior-whitney-wolfe-launches-second-business-clothing-line-tender-heart |publisher=SMU Daily Campus |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The venture, though modest in commercial scale, attracted some attention and foreshadowed Wolfe's capacity for merging business ventures with social causes — a pattern that would define her later career.
Details about Wolfe Herd's family background and childhood remain limited in publicly available sources. What is documented is her early inclination toward building businesses and her move to the technology sector shortly after completing her undergraduate education.


== Education ==
== Education ==


Wolfe Herd attended [[Southern Methodist University]] in Dallas, Texas, where she earned a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree.<ref>{{cite web |title=Whitney Wolfe Herd: How she became the world's youngest female self-made billionaire |url=https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/whitney-wolfe-herd-became-worlds-youngest-female-self-made-billionaire/women-in-business/article/1707471 |publisher=Management Today |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Her time at SMU was formative in shaping her approach to business and technology. It was during her college years that she launched her first entrepreneurial project, the Tender Heart clothing line, and began developing the social networking instincts that would later guide her work at Tinder and Bumble.<ref>{{cite web |title=SMU senior Whitney Wolfe launches second business, clothing line Tender Heart |url=http://www.smudailycampus.com/news/smu-senior-whitney-wolfe-launches-second-business-clothing-line-tender-heart |publisher=SMU Daily Campus |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Her undergraduate education at SMU also placed her within the broader Dallas social scene, which played a role in the early development and testing of Tinder's platform, as the app gained early traction in part through college campus marketing strategies that Wolfe helped design.
Wolfe Herd attended [[Southern Methodist University]] in Dallas, Texas, where she earned a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree.<ref>{{cite web |title=SMU senior Whitney Wolfe launches second business, clothing line Tender Heart |url=http://www.smudailycampus.com/news/smu-senior-whitney-wolfe-launches-second-business-clothing-line-tender-heart |publisher=SMU Daily Campus |date= |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> During her time at SMU, she was involved in entrepreneurial activities, including the Tender Heart clothing venture. Her time at the university also connected her with networks in the technology startup world that would prove significant for her subsequent career at Tinder.


== Career ==
== Career ==
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=== Tinder ===
=== Tinder ===


After completing her studies at SMU, Wolfe joined the team that would build [[Tinder (app)|Tinder]], one of the most influential mobile dating applications of the 2010s. She served as a co-founder and Vice President of Marketing at the company.<ref>{{cite news |date=2022-09-22 |title=Whitney Wolfe Helped Make Tinder a Success. Then She Created Its Fiercest Competitor. |url=https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/a66106070/swiped-true-story-whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble |work=Biography |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> In that role, Wolfe was instrumental in popularizing Tinder among college students through a grassroots marketing strategy that involved visiting university campuses and encouraging students to download the app.<ref>{{cite news |date=2015-01-29 |title=Whitney Wolfe says goodbye to Tinder, hello to Bumble |url=http://www.labusinessjournal.com/news/2015/jan/29/whitney-wolfe-says-goodbye-tinder-hello-bumble/ |work=Los Angeles Business Journal |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Wolfe's campus-centric approach helped Tinder achieve rapid user growth, particularly among young adults, and established the swipe-based dating model that would transform the industry.
After graduating from Southern Methodist University, Wolfe joined the team that was building [[Tinder (app)|Tinder]], a mobile dating application that used a swipe-based interface to allow users to quickly approve or pass on potential matches. Wolfe is credited as a co-founder of Tinder and served as the company's vice president of marketing.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2015-01-29 |title=Whitney Wolfe Says Goodbye to Tinder, Hello to Bumble |url=http://www.labusinessjournal.com/news/2015/jan/29/whitney-wolfe-says-goodbye-tinder-hello-bumble/ |work=Los Angeles Business Journal |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> In that role, she played a central part in popularizing the app, particularly among college-age users. Her marketing strategy included visiting college campuses to promote the platform, and she is credited with coining the name "Tinder."<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2022-09-19 |title=The True Story Behind Swiped, Whitney Wolfe Herd, and the Birth of Bumble |url=https://time.com/7314564/swiped-true-story-whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble/ |work=Time |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date= |title=Whitney Wolfe Helped Make Tinder a Success. Then She Created Its Fiercest Competitor. |url=https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/a66106070/swiped-true-story-whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble |work=Biography |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


However, Wolfe's tenure at Tinder ended acrimoniously. In June 2014, she filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the company, alleging that she had been subjected to sexist and harassing behavior by co-founder Justin Mateen and that she had been stripped of her co-founder title.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe and Sean Rad, Justin Mateen sexual harassment suit |url=http://heavy.com/tech/2014/07/tinder-whitney-wolfe-sean-rad-justin-mateen-sexual-harassment-suit/ |publisher=Heavy |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The lawsuit generated substantial media coverage and public attention, bringing broader conversations about sexism in the technology industry into sharp focus. In November 2014, the case was settled for a reported sum of just over $1 million, and Wolfe was bound by the terms of the settlement not to discuss certain details of the arrangement publicly.<ref>{{cite news |date=2014-11 |title=Whitney Wolfe settles sexual harassment Tinder lawsuit for $1 million |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/whitney-wolfe-settles-sexual-harassment-tinder-lawsuit-1-million-2014-11 |work=Business Insider |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2015-12-02 |title=Whitney Wolfe, founder of dating app Bumble, has had quite the year. She just can't discuss parts of it. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/12/02/whitney-wolfe-founder-of-dating-app-bumble-has-had-quite-the-year-she-just-cant-discuss-parts-of-it/ |work=The Washington Post |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
In 2012, Tinder launched and quickly became one of the most downloaded dating applications in the world, fundamentally changing how people met romantic partners.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2025-05-10 |title='The Interview': Can Whitney Wolfe Herd Make Us Love Dating Apps Again? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/magazine/whitney-wolfe-herd-interview.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The app's rapid growth made it a cultural phenomenon and established the swipe mechanic as a defining feature of modern mobile dating.


The experience at Tinder proved to be a turning point in Wolfe's career. Rather than retreating from the technology industry, she channeled the difficulties she had experienced into a new venture, one that would center the experiences of women in online dating.
However, Wolfe's tenure at Tinder ended in acrimony. In June 2014, she filed a lawsuit against Tinder and its parent company, alleging sexual harassment and discrimination. The suit named Tinder co-founder Justin Mateen and CEO Sean Rad, among others.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe sexual harassment suit |url=http://heavy.com/tech/2014/07/tinder-whitney-wolfe-sean-rad-justin-mateen-sexual-harassment-suit/ |publisher=Heavy.com |date=2014-07 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Wolfe alleged that she had been subjected to harassing text messages and that her co-founder title had been stripped because the company's leadership said that having a young female co-founder "made the company look like a joke."<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date= |title=Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe and Bumble |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/tinder-co-founder-whitney-wolfe-and-bumble-2015-1 |work=Business Insider |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The lawsuit drew extensive media coverage and became part of a broader public conversation about the treatment of women in the technology industry.
 
The case was settled in September 2014 for a reported sum of just over one million dollars.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2014-11 |title=Whitney Wolfe settles sexual harassment Tinder lawsuit for $1 million |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/whitney-wolfe-settles-sexual-harassment-tinder-lawsuit-1-million-2014-11 |work=Business Insider |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Under the terms of the settlement, Wolfe was restricted from publicly discussing certain aspects of her experience at Tinder.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2015-12-02 |title=Whitney Wolfe, founder of dating app Bumble, has had quite the year. She just can't discuss parts of it. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/12/02/whitney-wolfe-founder-of-dating-app-bumble-has-had-quite-the-year-she-just-cant-discuss-parts-of-it/ |work=The Washington Post |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Justin Mateen was suspended from his position at Tinder in the wake of the allegations.


=== Founding of Bumble ===
=== Founding of Bumble ===


In 2014, shortly after leaving Tinder, Wolfe Herd founded [[Bumble (app)|Bumble]], a dating application with a distinctive feature: in heterosexual matches, only the woman could initiate a conversation. This "women make the first move" model was designed to address some of the dynamics that Wolfe Herd had observed and experienced in both the online dating world and the technology industry more broadly.<ref>{{cite news |date=2015-04-12 |title=Can Bumble's Whitney Wolfe be the queen of dating? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/12/bumble-dating-app-women-call-shots-whitney-wolfe |work=The Guardian |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> In founding Bumble, Wolfe Herd partnered with [[Badoo]] founder Andrey Andreev, who provided funding and infrastructure through the company's parent entity.
In the months following her departure from Tinder, Wolfe initially considered stepping away from the dating app industry entirely. However, Russian entrepreneur and [[Badoo]] founder Andrey Andreev approached her with a proposal to build a new dating platform. Wolfe agreed, on the condition that the new app would address the problems she had experienced and observed in online dating — specifically, the harassment and hostile behavior that women frequently encountered on existing platforms.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2015-04-12 |title=Bumble, the dating app where women call the shots |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/12/bumble-dating-app-women-call-shots-whitney-wolfe |work=The Guardian |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


Speaking at [[SXSW]] in 2018, Wolfe Herd described her broader ambitions for the platform: "What I originally wanted to do with Bumble is rewrite the Internet," she said, attributing the company's success to its fundamental belief that women should be empowered to make the first move in romantic connections.<ref>{{cite web |title=SXSW 2018 Featured Speaker: Whitney Wolfe Herd in Conversation with Gayle King |url=https://sxsw.com/interactive/2018/sxsw-2018-featured-speaker-whitney-wolfe-herd-in-conversation-with-gayle-king-video/ |publisher=SXSW |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Bumble launched in December 2014 with a distinctive feature: in heterosexual matches, only women could initiate the first message.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2015-04-12 |title=Bumble, the dating app where women call the shots |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/12/bumble-dating-app-women-call-shots-whitney-wolfe |work=The Guardian |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> This mechanic was designed to reduce unsolicited and often inappropriate messages that women received on other platforms and to create a dating environment where women felt more empowered. At a 2018 SXSW panel, Wolfe Herd described the company's founding ethos, stating: "What I originally wanted to do with Bumble is rewrite the Internet."<ref>{{cite web |title=SXSW 2018 Featured Speaker: Whitney Wolfe Herd in Conversation with Gayle King |url=https://sxsw.com/interactive/2018/sxsw-2018-featured-speaker-whitney-wolfe-herd-in-conversation-with-gayle-king-video/ |publisher=SXSW |date=2018 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The company attributed its growth to the fundamental principle that women should be able to make the first move in romantic connections.


Bumble quickly grew into one of the most popular dating applications in the United States and expanded internationally. The app's design was credited with reducing instances of unsolicited and harassing messages that women commonly received on other platforms. The platform also expanded beyond romantic dating to include features for finding friends (Bumble BFF) and business networking (Bumble Bizz).<ref>{{cite news |date=2017-11-14 |title=Billion-Dollar Bumble: How Whitney Wolfe Herd Built America's Fastest-Growing Dating App |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2017/11/14/billion-dollar-bumble-how-whitney-wolfe-herd-built-americas-fastest-growing-dating-app/#1cb7bf24248b |work=Forbes |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
The app grew rapidly. By 2017, ''[[Forbes]]'' described Bumble as "America's fastest-growing dating app," reporting that the company was on track to reach a billion-dollar valuation.<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Connor |first=Clare |date=2017-11-14 |title=Billion-Dollar Bumble: How Whitney Wolfe Herd Built America's Fastest-Growing Dating App |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2017/11/14/billion-dollar-bumble-how-whitney-wolfe-herd-built-americas-fastest-growing-dating-app/#1cb7bf24248b |work=Forbes |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The platform expanded beyond dating to include Bumble BFF, a feature for finding platonic friendships, and Bumble Bizz, a professional networking mode. Wolfe Herd positioned Bumble not merely as a dating app but as a broader social networking platform centered on respectful, women-first design principles.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2017-03-18 |title=Bumble: The Feminist Dating App |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/fashion/bumble-feminist-dating-app-whitney-wolfe.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


Wolfe Herd also used Bumble's platform to advocate for legislative change. She was involved in efforts in Texas to outlaw unsolicited sexually explicit images, a practice commonly referred to as "cyberflashing." Bumble's advocacy contributed to Texas passing legislation addressing the issue.<ref>{{cite news |title=Texas May Outlaw Unsolicited Sexual Images. Would That Be Enforceable—and Does It Even Matter? |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/news/texas-may-outlaw-unsolicited-sexual-images-would-that-be-enforceable-and-does-it-even-matter/ |work=Texas Monthly |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Wolfe Herd also pushed for legislative change related to online behavior. In Texas, she advocated for a law that would criminalize the sending of unsolicited sexually explicit images — commonly known as "cyberflashing." Bumble's lobbying efforts contributed to Texas becoming the first U.S. state to enact such a law.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date= |title=Texas May Outlaw Unsolicited Sexual Images. Would That Be Enforceable, and Does It Even Matter? |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/news/texas-may-outlaw-unsolicited-sexual-images-would-that-be-enforceable-and-does-it-even-matter/ |work=Texas Monthly |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


=== Bumble IPO and Growth ===
=== Bumble IPO and Growth ===


On February 11, 2021, Bumble Inc. went public on the [[Nasdaq]] stock exchange under the ticker symbol BMBL. The [[initial public offering]] was a landmark moment for both the company and for Wolfe Herd personally. At the time of the IPO, she was one of the youngest female CEOs to take a company public in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |date=2021-02-11 |title=Bumble IPO: CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd on BMBL stock, shares, and the app's initial public offering |url=https://fortune.com/2021/02/11/bumble-ipo-ceo-whitney-wolfe-herd-bmbl-stock-shares-interview-app-initial-public-offering/ |work=Fortune |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Following the IPO, Wolfe Herd's personal stake in the company made her the youngest self-made female billionaire, according to reporting by Management Today and other publications.<ref>{{cite web |title=Whitney Wolfe Herd: How she became the world's youngest female self-made billionaire |url=https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/whitney-wolfe-herd-became-worlds-youngest-female-self-made-billionaire/women-in-business/article/1707471 |publisher=Management Today |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
On February 11, 2021, Bumble Inc. went public on the [[Nasdaq]] stock exchange under the ticker symbol BMBL. The initial public offering was a significant milestone for the company and for Wolfe Herd personally. On its first day of trading, Bumble's stock surged, pushing the company's valuation to approximately $13 billion.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2021-02-11 |title=Bumble IPO: CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd on BMBL stock, shares, and the app's initial public offering |url=https://fortune.com/2021/02/11/bumble-ipo-ceo-whitney-wolfe-herd-bmbl-stock-shares-interview-app-initial-public-offering/ |work=Fortune |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Wolfe Herd, who was 31 at the time, became one of the youngest women to take a company public in the United States. Reports described her as the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world at the time of the IPO.<ref>{{cite web |title=How Whitney Wolfe Herd became the world's youngest female self-made billionaire |url=https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/whitney-wolfe-herd-became-worlds-youngest-female-self-made-billionaire/women-in-business/article/1707471 |publisher=Management Today |date= |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> She owns approximately 23 million shares of Bumble Inc.


The IPO demonstrated investor confidence in Bumble's business model, which by that time had grown beyond dating to encompass a broader social networking platform. Wolfe Herd described the public offering as a validation of the company's mission, telling Fortune that the moment was about much more than a financial milestone.<ref>{{cite news |date=2021-02-11 |title=Bumble IPO: CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd on BMBL stock, shares, and the app's initial public offering |url=https://fortune.com/2021/02/11/bumble-ipo-ceo-whitney-wolfe-herd-bmbl-stock-shares-interview-app-initial-public-offering/ |work=Fortune |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
In an interview with ''Fortune'' at the time of the IPO, Wolfe Herd discussed her vision for the company's future and the importance of creating safe online spaces. The public offering also represented a moment of validation for Bumble's women-first business model, which had attracted both users and investors.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2021-02-11 |title=Bumble IPO: CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd on BMBL stock, shares, and the app's initial public offering |url=https://fortune.com/2021/02/11/bumble-ipo-ceo-whitney-wolfe-herd-bmbl-stock-shares-interview-app-initial-public-offering/ |work=Fortune |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


=== Leadership Transition and Return ===
=== Departure and Return as CEO ===


After leading Bumble as CEO through its IPO and subsequent growth phase, Wolfe Herd transitioned to the role of executive chair. However, by 2025, she had returned to the role of CEO amid challenges facing the dating app industry, particularly declining engagement among younger users, sometimes referred to as [[Generation Z]].<ref>{{cite news |date=2025-05-10 |title='The Interview': Can Whitney Wolfe Herd Make Us Love Dating Apps Again? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/magazine/whitney-wolfe-herd-interview.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> In a 2025 interview with ''The New York Times'', Wolfe Herd acknowledged the shifting landscape of dating apps and expressed her intent to revitalize the platform for a new generation of users. She reflected that when she co-founded Tinder, "the overwhelming feeling about apps and screens and tech in general was optimism," a sentiment she sought to recapture.<ref>{{cite news |date=2025-05-10 |title='The Interview': Can Whitney Wolfe Herd Make Us Love Dating Apps Again? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/magazine/whitney-wolfe-herd-interview.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
After leading Bumble through its IPO and years of growth, Wolfe Herd stepped back from her day-to-day role as CEO. However, by 2025, she returned to lead the company amid challenges facing the broader dating app industry. A ''New York Times'' interview in May 2025 described the context of her return: Bumble was struggling, and Wolfe Herd said she had a plan for engaging [[Generation Z]] users who had grown skeptical of dating apps.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2025-05-10 |title='The Interview': Can Whitney Wolfe Herd Make Us Love Dating Apps Again? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/magazine/whitney-wolfe-herd-interview.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> In a ''New York Times'' piece, she reflected on how the general sentiment about technology had shifted since she co-founded Tinder, noting that when Tinder launched, "the overwhelming feeling about apps and screens and tech in general was optimism."<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2025-05-10 |title='The Interview': Can Whitney Wolfe Herd Make Us Love Dating Apps Again? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/magazine/whitney-wolfe-herd-interview.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


In an August 2025 interview with ''The Wall Street Journal'', Wolfe Herd discussed her evolving vision for Bumble, including integrating [[artificial intelligence]] into the platform to reshape how users form connections and relationships. She also disclosed a personal anecdote that she would never have swiped right on her own husband using traditional dating app mechanics, suggesting that many happy couples may not have found each other through the conventional matching systems that define modern dating apps.<ref>{{cite news |date=2025-08-29 |title=Whitney Wolfe Herd Has a New Idea for Bumble—and All Our Relationships |url=https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble-ai-398779bb |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Wolfe Herd's return coincided with new strategic directions for the company. In an August 2025 ''Wall Street Journal'' feature, she discussed new ideas for Bumble, including the integration of [[artificial intelligence]] to reshape how users form connections on the platform. She also expressed a broader interest in addressing what she called a societal loneliness crisis through technology.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2025-08-29 |title=Whitney Wolfe Herd Has a New Idea for Bumble—and All Our Relationships |url=https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble-ai-398779bb |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> In a ''Time'' interview, she framed her ambition as using technology to address loneliness, a theme consistent with her career-long focus on fostering human connection through digital platforms.<ref>{{cite web |title=Whitney Wolfe Herd Wants Technology to Cure Loneliness |url=https://time.com/collections/person-of-the-week-podcast/6289603/whitney-wolfe-herd-interview-person-of-the-week/ |publisher=Time |date= |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


In a separate conversation with ''Time'' magazine, Wolfe Herd articulated her broader goal of using technology to address what she described as a growing loneliness epidemic, positioning Bumble not merely as a dating app but as a tool for fostering meaningful human connections across multiple dimensions of life.<ref>{{cite web |title=Whitney Wolfe Herd Wants Technology to Cure Loneliness |url=https://time.com/collections/person-of-the-week-podcast/6289603/whitney-wolfe-herd-interview-person-of-the-week/ |publisher=Time |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
=== Cultural Impact and the ''Swiped'' Film ===
 
In September 2025, the Hulu film ''Swiped'' was released, dramatizing events surrounding Wolfe Herd's time at Tinder and the founding of Bumble.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2025-09-19 |title=The True Story Behind Swiped, Whitney Wolfe Herd, and the Birth of Bumble |url=https://time.com/7314564/swiped-true-story-whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble/ |work=Time |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> ''Time'' magazine published an extensive article examining the true story behind the film, while ''Biography'' noted that Wolfe Herd had "helped launch the dating app revolution with Tinder" in 2012 before creating "its fiercest competitor" two years later.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date= |title=Whitney Wolfe Helped Make Tinder a Success. Then She Created Its Fiercest Competitor. |url=https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/a66106070/swiped-true-story-whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble |work=Biography |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> ''Fortune'' noted that the film focused primarily on Wolfe Herd's experiences at Tinder rather than on the building of Bumble itself.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2025-09-29 |title='Swiped' movie misses Bumble's story |url=https://fortune.com/2025/09/29/swiped-bumble-movie-tinder-whitney-wolfe-herd/ |work=Fortune |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The existence of a major film about her story underscored the degree to which Wolfe Herd's career had become intertwined with the broader narrative of the technology industry's cultural impact.


== Personal Life ==
== Personal Life ==


Whitney Wolfe Herd resides in [[Austin, Texas]], where Bumble is headquartered.<ref>{{cite web |title=Whitney Wolfe — Austin Woman Magazine |url=https://atxwoman.com/whitney-wolfe/ |publisher=ATX Woman |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> She has two children.<ref>{{cite news |date=2025-05-10 |title='The Interview': Can Whitney Wolfe Herd Make Us Love Dating Apps Again? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/magazine/whitney-wolfe-herd-interview.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> In a 2025 interview with ''The Wall Street Journal'', she referenced her husband while discussing the limitations of swipe-based dating, noting she would not have matched with him using traditional dating app methods.<ref>{{cite news |date=2025-08-29 |title=Whitney Wolfe Herd Has a New Idea for Bumble—and All Our Relationships |url=https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble-ai-398779bb |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Whitney Wolfe married Michael Herd, and the couple have two children together. She has been based in [[Austin, Texas]], where Bumble is headquartered.<ref>{{cite web |title=Whitney Wolfe Herd |url=https://atxwoman.com/whitney-wolfe/ |publisher=ATX Woman |date= |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Wolfe Herd has spoken publicly about the challenges of balancing executive leadership with family life, and her experiences as a working mother have informed her approach to company culture at Bumble.


Wolfe Herd has spoken publicly about the personal toll of the Tinder lawsuit and its aftermath, which she has described as a difficult period that ultimately shaped her determination to build a company centered on safety and respect for women in digital spaces.<ref>{{cite news |date=2015-12-02 |title=Whitney Wolfe, founder of dating app Bumble, has had quite the year. She just can't discuss parts of it. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/12/02/whitney-wolfe-founder-of-dating-app-bumble-has-had-quite-the-year-she-just-cant-discuss-parts-of-it/ |work=The Washington Post |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> She has been based in Texas since her college years at SMU and has maintained a relatively private personal life outside of her professional public appearances.
In media interviews, she has discussed her own experiences with online harassment and the impact they had on her mental health and career trajectory. These personal experiences were a motivating factor in designing Bumble's safety features and in her advocacy for anti-cyberflashing legislation.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2015-04-12 |title=Bumble, the dating app where women call the shots |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/12/bumble-dating-app-women-call-shots-whitney-wolfe |work=The Guardian |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


== Recognition ==
== Recognition ==


Wolfe Herd has received recognition from multiple major media outlets for her role in reshaping the online dating industry and for her broader contributions to technology and women's empowerment.
In 2018, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' named Wolfe Herd to its annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=Whitney Wolfe Herd: The 100 Most Influential People of 2018 |url=https://time.com/collection/most-influential-people-2018/5217594/whitney-wolfe-herd/ |publisher=Time |date=2018 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> In 2014, ''Business Insider'' included her on its list of the 30 Most Important Women Under 30 in Tech.<ref>{{cite web |title=30 Most Important Women Under 30 in Tech |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/30-most-important-women-under-30-in-tech-2014-2014-8 |publisher=Business Insider |date=2014-08 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
 
In 2018, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' named her to its annual list of the 100 Most Influential People, recognizing her impact on technology and social dynamics through Bumble.<ref>{{cite web |title=Whitney Wolfe Herd — TIME 100 Most Influential People 2018 |url=https://time.com/collection/most-influential-people-2018/5217594/whitney-wolfe-herd/ |publisher=Time |date=2018 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The inclusion reflected the growing cultural significance of Bumble's "women first" model and Wolfe Herd's public profile as a technology executive.
 
In 2014, prior to founding Bumble, ''Business Insider'' included Wolfe on its list of the 30 Most Important Women Under 30 in Technology, recognizing her contributions at Tinder and her growing influence in the technology sector.<ref>{{cite web |title=30 Most Important Women Under 30 in Tech |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/30-most-important-women-under-30-in-tech-2014-2014-8 |publisher=Business Insider |date=2014 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
 
Forbes profiled Wolfe Herd in 2017 in a feature describing Bumble as "America's fastest-growing dating app," noting the company's rapid expansion and its unique market position.<ref>{{cite news |date=2017-11-14 |title=Billion-Dollar Bumble: How Whitney Wolfe Herd Built America's Fastest-Growing Dating App |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2017/11/14/billion-dollar-bumble-how-whitney-wolfe-herd-built-americas-fastest-growing-dating-app/#1cb7bf24248b |work=Forbes |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


Following the Bumble IPO in 2021, Management Today and other publications noted that Wolfe Herd had become the youngest self-made female billionaire, a distinction that generated significant media attention.<ref>{{cite web |title=Whitney Wolfe Herd: How she became the world's youngest female self-made billionaire |url=https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/whitney-wolfe-herd-became-worlds-youngest-female-self-made-billionaire/women-in-business/article/1707471 |publisher=Management Today |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
The Bumble IPO in 2021 generated widespread media coverage, and multiple outlets profiled Wolfe Herd's journey from Tinder co-founder to leading a publicly traded company. ''Management Today'' described her as the world's youngest female self-made billionaire at the time of the offering.<ref>{{cite web |title=How Whitney Wolfe Herd became the world's youngest female self-made billionaire |url=https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/whitney-wolfe-herd-became-worlds-youngest-female-self-made-billionaire/women-in-business/article/1707471 |publisher=Management Today |date= |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


In 2025, a Hulu film titled ''Swiped'' dramatized elements of Wolfe Herd's story, focusing primarily on her time at Tinder. The film brought renewed public attention to her role in the founding of both Tinder and Bumble, though some commentators noted that the movie focused more heavily on the Tinder era than on Bumble's development.<ref>{{cite news |date=2025-09-29 |title='Swiped' movie misses Bumble's story |url=https://fortune.com/2025/09/29/swiped-bumble-movie-tinder-whitney-wolfe-herd/ |work=Fortune |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2025-09-19 |title=The True Story Behind Swiped, Whitney Wolfe Herd, and the Birth of Bumble |url=https://time.com/7314564/swiped-true-story-whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble/ |work=Time |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
She has been profiled by ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'',<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2015-08 |title=Bumble app: Whitney Wolfe |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/08/bumble-app-whitney-wolfe |work=Vanity Fair |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'',<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2017-03-18 |title=Bumble: The Feminist Dating App |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/fashion/bumble-feminist-dating-app-whitney-wolfe.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> ''[[The Washington Post]]'',<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2015-10-23 |title=Meet Bumble Chief Executive Whitney Wolfe |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-live/wp/2015/10/23/meet-bumble-chief-executive-whitney-wolfe/ |work=The Washington Post |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> ''[[Forbes]]'',<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Connor |first=Clare |date=2017-11-14 |title=Billion-Dollar Bumble: How Whitney Wolfe Herd Built America's Fastest-Growing Dating App |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2017/11/14/billion-dollar-bumble-how-whitney-wolfe-herd-built-americas-fastest-growing-dating-app/#1cb7bf24248b |work=Forbes |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> and [[NPR]],<ref>{{cite web |title=NPR Transcript: Whitney Wolfe Herd |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=557437086 |publisher=NPR |date= |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> among other outlets. ''Paper'' magazine and ''Grazia'' have also featured her in profiles examining the intersection of technology, dating culture, and feminism.<ref>{{cite web |title=Whitney Wolfe Bumble |url=http://www.papermag.com/whitney-wolfe-bumble-it-girls-1647547057.html |publisher=Paper |date= |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Whitney Wolfe: Tinder to Bumble |url=https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/real-life/whitney-wolfe-tinder-bumble/ |publisher=Grazia |date= |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


== Legacy ==
== Legacy ==


Whitney Wolfe Herd's career has been defined by her role in the creation of two of the most consequential dating applications of the 2010s and 2020s. As a co-founder of Tinder, she was part of the team that popularized swipe-based mobile dating and transformed the way millions of people initiate romantic connections. As the founder of Bumble, she introduced a structural innovation — women initiating contact — that influenced the design of numerous subsequent dating platforms and challenged established norms in the online dating industry.<ref>{{cite news |date=2017-03-18 |title=Bumble, the feminist dating app, is having a moment |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/fashion/bumble-feminist-dating-app-whitney-wolfe.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Wolfe Herd's career has been defined by two of the most consequential products in modern dating culture. As a co-founder of Tinder, she helped popularize mobile-first, swipe-based dating, which fundamentally altered how millions of people initiate romantic connections. With Bumble, she introduced a model that placed women's agency at the center of the user experience, a design choice that influenced other dating platforms and broader conversations about gender dynamics in technology.


Bumble's model of empowering women to make the first move has been analyzed and discussed in the context of broader conversations about gender dynamics in technology and digital culture. The app's success demonstrated commercial viability for a product explicitly designed around feminist principles, a combination that had been viewed with skepticism by some investors and industry observers prior to Bumble's rapid growth.<ref>{{cite news |date=2015-08 |title=Bumble app: Whitney Wolfe |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/08/bumble-app-whitney-wolfe |work=Vanity Fair |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Her public departure from Tinder and subsequent lawsuit drew attention to issues of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the technology industry, contributing to an ongoing public reckoning with workplace culture in Silicon Valley and beyond. The 2025 Hulu film ''Swiped'' further brought these events into the mainstream cultural conversation.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2025-09-19 |title=The True Story Behind Swiped, Whitney Wolfe Herd, and the Birth of Bumble |url=https://time.com/7314564/swiped-true-story-whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble/ |work=Time |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


Wolfe Herd's public advocacy for legislation against unsolicited explicit images contributed to concrete legislative outcomes in Texas and added a policy dimension to her work in the technology sector.<ref>{{cite news |title=Texas May Outlaw Unsolicited Sexual Images. Would That Be Enforceable—and Does It Even Matter? |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/news/texas-may-outlaw-unsolicited-sexual-images-would-that-be-enforceable-and-does-it-even-matter/ |work=Texas Monthly |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Her trajectory — from the Tinder sexual harassment lawsuit to the founding and IPO of Bumble — has been cited in media coverage as emblematic of broader patterns of women in the technology industry confronting systemic challenges and building alternatives.<ref>{{cite news |date=2022-09-22 |title=Whitney Wolfe Helped Make Tinder a Success. Then She Created Its Fiercest Competitor. |url=https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/a66106070/swiped-true-story-whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble |work=Biography |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Bumble's advocacy for anti-cyberflashing legislation in Texas represented one of the first instances of a major technology company using its platform and influence to push for laws specifically addressing digital sexual harassment.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date= |title=Texas May Outlaw Unsolicited Sexual Images. Would That Be Enforceable, and Does It Even Matter? |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/news/texas-may-outlaw-unsolicited-sexual-images-would-that-be-enforceable-and-does-it-even-matter/ |work=Texas Monthly |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> This effort positioned Wolfe Herd and Bumble at the intersection of technology policy and women's safety advocacy.


As of 2025, Wolfe Herd continues to shape the direction of Bumble, navigating the evolving landscape of dating technology, the integration of artificial intelligence, and the challenge of engaging a new generation of users who have grown skeptical of traditional dating apps.<ref>{{cite news |date=2025-08-29 |title=Whitney Wolfe Herd Has a New Idea for Bumble—and All Our Relationships |url=https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble-ai-398779bb |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
As of 2025, Wolfe Herd continues to lead Bumble as it navigates an evolving market in which younger users have expressed growing ambivalence toward dating apps. Her stated focus on using artificial intelligence and addressing societal loneliness suggests a strategic direction that extends beyond Bumble's original dating-app model.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2025-08-29 |title=Whitney Wolfe Herd Has a New Idea for Bumble—and All Our Relationships |url=https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble-ai-398779bb |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
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[[Category:1989 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Salt Lake City]]
[[Category:People from Salt Lake City, Utah]]
[[Category:Southern Methodist University alumni]]
[[Category:Southern Methodist University alumni]]
[[Category:American technology executives]]
[[Category:American women in business]]
[[Category:American women in business]]
[[Category:People from Austin, Texas]]
[[Category:American technology company founders]]
[[Category:Dating apps]]
[[Category:American women chief executives]]


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Revision as of 00:45, 24 February 2026


Whitney Wolfe Herd
BornWhitney Wolfe
01 07, 1989
BirthplaceSalt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationEntrepreneur, business executive
Known forFounder of Bumble, co-founder of Tinder
EducationSouthern Methodist University (BA)
Children2
AwardsTime 100 Most Influential People (2018)

Whitney Wolfe Herd (née Wolfe; born July 1, 1989) is an American entrepreneur and business executive who founded the dating application Bumble and serves as its chief executive officer and executive chair. Before launching Bumble, she was a co-founder and vice president of marketing at Tinder, one of the first mobile dating platforms to popularize the swipe-based matching model. Wolfe Herd departed Tinder in 2014 and launched Bumble later that year, building the app around the core principle that women make the first move in heterosexual matches — a design choice intended to shift traditional gender dynamics in online dating.[1] Bumble grew into one of the largest dating platforms in the United States, and when the company went public in February 2021, Wolfe Herd became one of the youngest women to take a company public on a major American stock exchange.[2] In 2018, Time named her one of its 100 Most Influential People.[3] After stepping back from the CEO role, Wolfe Herd returned to lead Bumble in 2025, announcing plans to reimagine the platform for a new generation of users.[4]

Early Life

Whitney Wolfe was born on July 1, 1989, in Salt Lake City, Utah.[5] She grew up in Salt Lake City and attended school in Utah before pursuing higher education in Texas. From an early age, Wolfe demonstrated entrepreneurial instincts. While still a student at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas, she launched a clothing line called Tender Heart, which sold bamboo tote bags to raise money for areas affected by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.[6] The project attracted attention and demonstrated her ability to combine a social cause with a consumer product — a theme that would recur throughout her career.

Details about Wolfe Herd's family background and childhood remain limited in publicly available sources. What is documented is her early inclination toward building businesses and her move to the technology sector shortly after completing her undergraduate education.

Education

Wolfe Herd attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.[7] During her time at SMU, she was involved in entrepreneurial activities, including the Tender Heart clothing venture. Her time at the university also connected her with networks in the technology startup world that would prove significant for her subsequent career at Tinder.

Career

Tinder

After graduating from Southern Methodist University, Wolfe joined the team that was building Tinder, a mobile dating application that used a swipe-based interface to allow users to quickly approve or pass on potential matches. Wolfe is credited as a co-founder of Tinder and served as the company's vice president of marketing.[8] In that role, she played a central part in popularizing the app, particularly among college-age users. Her marketing strategy included visiting college campuses to promote the platform, and she is credited with coining the name "Tinder."[9][10]

In 2012, Tinder launched and quickly became one of the most downloaded dating applications in the world, fundamentally changing how people met romantic partners.[11] The app's rapid growth made it a cultural phenomenon and established the swipe mechanic as a defining feature of modern mobile dating.

However, Wolfe's tenure at Tinder ended in acrimony. In June 2014, she filed a lawsuit against Tinder and its parent company, alleging sexual harassment and discrimination. The suit named Tinder co-founder Justin Mateen and CEO Sean Rad, among others.[12] Wolfe alleged that she had been subjected to harassing text messages and that her co-founder title had been stripped because the company's leadership said that having a young female co-founder "made the company look like a joke."[13] The lawsuit drew extensive media coverage and became part of a broader public conversation about the treatment of women in the technology industry.

The case was settled in September 2014 for a reported sum of just over one million dollars.[14] Under the terms of the settlement, Wolfe was restricted from publicly discussing certain aspects of her experience at Tinder.[15] Justin Mateen was suspended from his position at Tinder in the wake of the allegations.

Founding of Bumble

In the months following her departure from Tinder, Wolfe initially considered stepping away from the dating app industry entirely. However, Russian entrepreneur and Badoo founder Andrey Andreev approached her with a proposal to build a new dating platform. Wolfe agreed, on the condition that the new app would address the problems she had experienced and observed in online dating — specifically, the harassment and hostile behavior that women frequently encountered on existing platforms.[16]

Bumble launched in December 2014 with a distinctive feature: in heterosexual matches, only women could initiate the first message.[17] This mechanic was designed to reduce unsolicited and often inappropriate messages that women received on other platforms and to create a dating environment where women felt more empowered. At a 2018 SXSW panel, Wolfe Herd described the company's founding ethos, stating: "What I originally wanted to do with Bumble is rewrite the Internet."[18] The company attributed its growth to the fundamental principle that women should be able to make the first move in romantic connections.

The app grew rapidly. By 2017, Forbes described Bumble as "America's fastest-growing dating app," reporting that the company was on track to reach a billion-dollar valuation.[19] The platform expanded beyond dating to include Bumble BFF, a feature for finding platonic friendships, and Bumble Bizz, a professional networking mode. Wolfe Herd positioned Bumble not merely as a dating app but as a broader social networking platform centered on respectful, women-first design principles.[20]

Wolfe Herd also pushed for legislative change related to online behavior. In Texas, she advocated for a law that would criminalize the sending of unsolicited sexually explicit images — commonly known as "cyberflashing." Bumble's lobbying efforts contributed to Texas becoming the first U.S. state to enact such a law.[21]

Bumble IPO and Growth

On February 11, 2021, Bumble Inc. went public on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker symbol BMBL. The initial public offering was a significant milestone for the company and for Wolfe Herd personally. On its first day of trading, Bumble's stock surged, pushing the company's valuation to approximately $13 billion.[22] Wolfe Herd, who was 31 at the time, became one of the youngest women to take a company public in the United States. Reports described her as the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world at the time of the IPO.[23] She owns approximately 23 million shares of Bumble Inc.

In an interview with Fortune at the time of the IPO, Wolfe Herd discussed her vision for the company's future and the importance of creating safe online spaces. The public offering also represented a moment of validation for Bumble's women-first business model, which had attracted both users and investors.[24]

Departure and Return as CEO

After leading Bumble through its IPO and years of growth, Wolfe Herd stepped back from her day-to-day role as CEO. However, by 2025, she returned to lead the company amid challenges facing the broader dating app industry. A New York Times interview in May 2025 described the context of her return: Bumble was struggling, and Wolfe Herd said she had a plan for engaging Generation Z users who had grown skeptical of dating apps.[25] In a New York Times piece, she reflected on how the general sentiment about technology had shifted since she co-founded Tinder, noting that when Tinder launched, "the overwhelming feeling about apps and screens and tech in general was optimism."[26]

Wolfe Herd's return coincided with new strategic directions for the company. In an August 2025 Wall Street Journal feature, she discussed new ideas for Bumble, including the integration of artificial intelligence to reshape how users form connections on the platform. She also expressed a broader interest in addressing what she called a societal loneliness crisis through technology.[27] In a Time interview, she framed her ambition as using technology to address loneliness, a theme consistent with her career-long focus on fostering human connection through digital platforms.[28]

Cultural Impact and the Swiped Film

In September 2025, the Hulu film Swiped was released, dramatizing events surrounding Wolfe Herd's time at Tinder and the founding of Bumble.[29] Time magazine published an extensive article examining the true story behind the film, while Biography noted that Wolfe Herd had "helped launch the dating app revolution with Tinder" in 2012 before creating "its fiercest competitor" two years later.[30] Fortune noted that the film focused primarily on Wolfe Herd's experiences at Tinder rather than on the building of Bumble itself.[31] The existence of a major film about her story underscored the degree to which Wolfe Herd's career had become intertwined with the broader narrative of the technology industry's cultural impact.

Personal Life

Whitney Wolfe married Michael Herd, and the couple have two children together. She has been based in Austin, Texas, where Bumble is headquartered.[32] Wolfe Herd has spoken publicly about the challenges of balancing executive leadership with family life, and her experiences as a working mother have informed her approach to company culture at Bumble.

In media interviews, she has discussed her own experiences with online harassment and the impact they had on her mental health and career trajectory. These personal experiences were a motivating factor in designing Bumble's safety features and in her advocacy for anti-cyberflashing legislation.[33]

Recognition

In 2018, Time named Wolfe Herd to its annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in the world.[34] In 2014, Business Insider included her on its list of the 30 Most Important Women Under 30 in Tech.[35]

The Bumble IPO in 2021 generated widespread media coverage, and multiple outlets profiled Wolfe Herd's journey from Tinder co-founder to leading a publicly traded company. Management Today described her as the world's youngest female self-made billionaire at the time of the offering.[36]

She has been profiled by Vanity Fair,[37] The New York Times,[38] The Washington Post,[39] Forbes,[40] and NPR,[41] among other outlets. Paper magazine and Grazia have also featured her in profiles examining the intersection of technology, dating culture, and feminism.[42][43]

Legacy

Wolfe Herd's career has been defined by two of the most consequential products in modern dating culture. As a co-founder of Tinder, she helped popularize mobile-first, swipe-based dating, which fundamentally altered how millions of people initiate romantic connections. With Bumble, she introduced a model that placed women's agency at the center of the user experience, a design choice that influenced other dating platforms and broader conversations about gender dynamics in technology.

Her public departure from Tinder and subsequent lawsuit drew attention to issues of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the technology industry, contributing to an ongoing public reckoning with workplace culture in Silicon Valley and beyond. The 2025 Hulu film Swiped further brought these events into the mainstream cultural conversation.[44]

Bumble's advocacy for anti-cyberflashing legislation in Texas represented one of the first instances of a major technology company using its platform and influence to push for laws specifically addressing digital sexual harassment.[45] This effort positioned Wolfe Herd and Bumble at the intersection of technology policy and women's safety advocacy.

As of 2025, Wolfe Herd continues to lead Bumble as it navigates an evolving market in which younger users have expressed growing ambivalence toward dating apps. Her stated focus on using artificial intelligence and addressing societal loneliness suggests a strategic direction that extends beyond Bumble's original dating-app model.[46]

References

  1. ↑ "Bumble, the dating app where women call the shots".The Guardian.2015-04-12.https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/12/bumble-dating-app-women-call-shots-whitney-wolfe.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  2. ↑ "Bumble IPO: CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd on BMBL stock, shares, and the app's initial public offering".Fortune.2021-02-11.https://fortune.com/2021/02/11/bumble-ipo-ceo-whitney-wolfe-herd-bmbl-stock-shares-interview-app-initial-public-offering/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  3. ↑ "Whitney Wolfe Herd: The 100 Most Influential People of 2018".Time.2018.https://time.com/collection/most-influential-people-2018/5217594/whitney-wolfe-herd/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  4. ↑ "'The Interview': Can Whitney Wolfe Herd Make Us Love Dating Apps Again?".The New York Times.2025-05-10.https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/magazine/whitney-wolfe-herd-interview.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  5. ↑ "Whitney Wolfe Herd".ATX Woman.https://atxwoman.com/whitney-wolfe/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  6. ↑ "SMU senior Whitney Wolfe launches second business, clothing line Tender Heart".SMU Daily Campus.http://www.smudailycampus.com/news/smu-senior-whitney-wolfe-launches-second-business-clothing-line-tender-heart.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  7. ↑ "SMU senior Whitney Wolfe launches second business, clothing line Tender Heart".SMU Daily Campus.http://www.smudailycampus.com/news/smu-senior-whitney-wolfe-launches-second-business-clothing-line-tender-heart.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  8. ↑ "Whitney Wolfe Says Goodbye to Tinder, Hello to Bumble".Los Angeles Business Journal.2015-01-29.http://www.labusinessjournal.com/news/2015/jan/29/whitney-wolfe-says-goodbye-tinder-hello-bumble/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  9. ↑ "The True Story Behind Swiped, Whitney Wolfe Herd, and the Birth of Bumble".Time.2022-09-19.https://time.com/7314564/swiped-true-story-whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  10. ↑ "Whitney Wolfe Helped Make Tinder a Success. Then She Created Its Fiercest Competitor.".Biography.https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/a66106070/swiped-true-story-whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  11. ↑ "'The Interview': Can Whitney Wolfe Herd Make Us Love Dating Apps Again?".The New York Times.2025-05-10.https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/magazine/whitney-wolfe-herd-interview.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  12. ↑ "Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe sexual harassment suit".Heavy.com.2014-07.http://heavy.com/tech/2014/07/tinder-whitney-wolfe-sean-rad-justin-mateen-sexual-harassment-suit/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  13. ↑ "Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe and Bumble".Business Insider.http://www.businessinsider.com/tinder-co-founder-whitney-wolfe-and-bumble-2015-1.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  14. ↑ "Whitney Wolfe settles sexual harassment Tinder lawsuit for $1 million".Business Insider.2014-11.https://www.businessinsider.com/whitney-wolfe-settles-sexual-harassment-tinder-lawsuit-1-million-2014-11.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  15. ↑ "Whitney Wolfe, founder of dating app Bumble, has had quite the year. She just can't discuss parts of it.".The Washington Post.2015-12-02.https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/12/02/whitney-wolfe-founder-of-dating-app-bumble-has-had-quite-the-year-she-just-cant-discuss-parts-of-it/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  16. ↑ "Bumble, the dating app where women call the shots".The Guardian.2015-04-12.https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/12/bumble-dating-app-women-call-shots-whitney-wolfe.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  17. ↑ "Bumble, the dating app where women call the shots".The Guardian.2015-04-12.https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/12/bumble-dating-app-women-call-shots-whitney-wolfe.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  18. ↑ "SXSW 2018 Featured Speaker: Whitney Wolfe Herd in Conversation with Gayle King".SXSW.2018.https://sxsw.com/interactive/2018/sxsw-2018-featured-speaker-whitney-wolfe-herd-in-conversation-with-gayle-king-video/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  19. ↑ O'ConnorClareClare"Billion-Dollar Bumble: How Whitney Wolfe Herd Built America's Fastest-Growing Dating App".Forbes.2017-11-14.https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2017/11/14/billion-dollar-bumble-how-whitney-wolfe-herd-built-americas-fastest-growing-dating-app/#1cb7bf24248b.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  20. ↑ "Bumble: The Feminist Dating App".The New York Times.2017-03-18.https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/fashion/bumble-feminist-dating-app-whitney-wolfe.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  21. ↑ "Texas May Outlaw Unsolicited Sexual Images. Would That Be Enforceable, and Does It Even Matter?".Texas Monthly.https://www.texasmonthly.com/news/texas-may-outlaw-unsolicited-sexual-images-would-that-be-enforceable-and-does-it-even-matter/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  22. ↑ "Bumble IPO: CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd on BMBL stock, shares, and the app's initial public offering".Fortune.2021-02-11.https://fortune.com/2021/02/11/bumble-ipo-ceo-whitney-wolfe-herd-bmbl-stock-shares-interview-app-initial-public-offering/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  23. ↑ "How Whitney Wolfe Herd became the world's youngest female self-made billionaire".Management Today.https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/whitney-wolfe-herd-became-worlds-youngest-female-self-made-billionaire/women-in-business/article/1707471.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  24. ↑ "Bumble IPO: CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd on BMBL stock, shares, and the app's initial public offering".Fortune.2021-02-11.https://fortune.com/2021/02/11/bumble-ipo-ceo-whitney-wolfe-herd-bmbl-stock-shares-interview-app-initial-public-offering/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  25. ↑ "'The Interview': Can Whitney Wolfe Herd Make Us Love Dating Apps Again?".The New York Times.2025-05-10.https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/magazine/whitney-wolfe-herd-interview.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  26. ↑ "'The Interview': Can Whitney Wolfe Herd Make Us Love Dating Apps Again?".The New York Times.2025-05-10.https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/magazine/whitney-wolfe-herd-interview.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  27. ↑ "Whitney Wolfe Herd Has a New Idea for Bumble—and All Our Relationships".The Wall Street Journal.2025-08-29.https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble-ai-398779bb.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  28. ↑ "Whitney Wolfe Herd Wants Technology to Cure Loneliness".Time.https://time.com/collections/person-of-the-week-podcast/6289603/whitney-wolfe-herd-interview-person-of-the-week/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  29. ↑ "The True Story Behind Swiped, Whitney Wolfe Herd, and the Birth of Bumble".Time.2025-09-19.https://time.com/7314564/swiped-true-story-whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  30. ↑ "Whitney Wolfe Helped Make Tinder a Success. Then She Created Its Fiercest Competitor.".Biography.https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/a66106070/swiped-true-story-whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  31. ↑ "'Swiped' movie misses Bumble's story".Fortune.2025-09-29.https://fortune.com/2025/09/29/swiped-bumble-movie-tinder-whitney-wolfe-herd/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  32. ↑ "Whitney Wolfe Herd".ATX Woman.https://atxwoman.com/whitney-wolfe/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  33. ↑ "Bumble, the dating app where women call the shots".The Guardian.2015-04-12.https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/12/bumble-dating-app-women-call-shots-whitney-wolfe.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  34. ↑ "Whitney Wolfe Herd: The 100 Most Influential People of 2018".Time.2018.https://time.com/collection/most-influential-people-2018/5217594/whitney-wolfe-herd/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  35. ↑ "30 Most Important Women Under 30 in Tech".Business Insider.2014-08.https://www.businessinsider.com/30-most-important-women-under-30-in-tech-2014-2014-8.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  36. ↑ "How Whitney Wolfe Herd became the world's youngest female self-made billionaire".Management Today.https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/whitney-wolfe-herd-became-worlds-youngest-female-self-made-billionaire/women-in-business/article/1707471.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  37. ↑ "Bumble app: Whitney Wolfe".Vanity Fair.2015-08.http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2015/08/bumble-app-whitney-wolfe.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  38. ↑ "Bumble: The Feminist Dating App".The New York Times.2017-03-18.https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/fashion/bumble-feminist-dating-app-whitney-wolfe.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  39. ↑ "Meet Bumble Chief Executive Whitney Wolfe".The Washington Post.2015-10-23.https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-live/wp/2015/10/23/meet-bumble-chief-executive-whitney-wolfe/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  40. ↑ O'ConnorClareClare"Billion-Dollar Bumble: How Whitney Wolfe Herd Built America's Fastest-Growing Dating App".Forbes.2017-11-14.https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2017/11/14/billion-dollar-bumble-how-whitney-wolfe-herd-built-americas-fastest-growing-dating-app/#1cb7bf24248b.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  41. ↑ "NPR Transcript: Whitney Wolfe Herd".NPR.https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=557437086.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  42. ↑ "Whitney Wolfe Bumble".Paper.http://www.papermag.com/whitney-wolfe-bumble-it-girls-1647547057.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  43. ↑ "Whitney Wolfe: Tinder to Bumble".Grazia.https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/real-life/whitney-wolfe-tinder-bumble/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  44. ↑ "The True Story Behind Swiped, Whitney Wolfe Herd, and the Birth of Bumble".Time.2025-09-19.https://time.com/7314564/swiped-true-story-whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  45. ↑ "Texas May Outlaw Unsolicited Sexual Images. Would That Be Enforceable, and Does It Even Matter?".Texas Monthly.https://www.texasmonthly.com/news/texas-may-outlaw-unsolicited-sexual-images-would-that-be-enforceable-and-does-it-even-matter/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  46. ↑ "Whitney Wolfe Herd Has a New Idea for Bumble—and All Our Relationships".The Wall Street Journal.2025-08-29.https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/whitney-wolfe-herd-bumble-ai-398779bb.Retrieved 2026-02-23.

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