As we saw in March and have seen repeatedly, Egypt is the single most dangerous country in the world for Grindr users, where the government engages in incomprehensible brutality against LGBTQ people. Thus we applaud Senate Foreign Relations Chair Ben Cardin’s stated intention to hold the Egyptian government accountable for its human rights record.

Although the danger to our community members in Egypt comes from many quarters, much of it is perpetrated by the police. Officers are trained at scale on how to use community spaces, including those online, to catfish; entrap; and ultimately arrest LGBTQ people, simply for being who we are and loving who we love.

We have spent nearly the past decade creating safety features and strategies to mitigate these challenges for users in Egypt and the more than 60 countries where being gay is illegal. In these parts of the world the app doesn’t tell other users a person’s exact distance, users receive a weekly safety reminder in local languages, more screenshot blocking has been put in place, and users have access to additional features like our discrete app icon and unlimited retractable messages. All of this has been developed in consultation with safety-focused technologists and LGBTQ activists working on the ground in these countries.

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We do this work and keep the app turned on in places like Egypt because we believe gay, bi, and trans people there deserve to be able to connect, and they deserve to have the best safety features we can offer while they’re doing so. 

We take our position in the global LGBTQ ecosystem extremely seriously, which is why we created Grindr for Equality over ten years ago–to promote queer safety, health, and human rights around the world. But the LGBTQ movement needs allies in order to achieve the vision of full equality, and the U.S. government should use its considerable influence, as it has before, to advance human rights in this area. We encourage U.S. officials to support Senator Cardin’s demand for “concrete, meaningful, and sustainable steps to improve the human rights conditions in [Egypt],” including to end the widespread police persecution of LGBTQ people.

As the leading social networking platform for anyone who wants to connect with the LGBTQ+ community, our app serves over 13 million monthly active users in almost every country in the world. In many of these countries, the Grindr app is the only safe way for our users to discover, share, and navigate their communities. Protecting our users’ interests and putting them in control of their personal data are top priorities for us and critical to the success of our business. 

Norway’s Privacy Appeals Board recently issued a decision regarding a legacy user consent process we used several years ago, before key regulatory developments interpreting the application of GDPR. We strongly disagree with the Board’s decision and are evaluating our options, including asking Norway’s courts to reverse the administrative agency. At the same time, we share the Norwegian Board’s commitment to privacy and want to provide an overview of how Grindr addresses this critical area.

Privacy could not be more important to our users. That’s why certain features, like giving users the choice to decide what information to include in their profile, including not requiring a profile photo, have been built into the app from day one. We’ve also built privacy and safety components directly into numerous parts of the product, such as our private albums that enable private sharing of photos between users. As we build new features, we continue to integrate privacy into every facet of the design to safeguard user information, which is what our users have come to expect. 

Since the period at issue in the decision, and under new ownership and new management, Grindr has invested heavily to adopt industry-leading privacy practices and tools to protect and empower our users by giving them more control over the data they publicly disclose.

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We have a dedicated Privacy team that works across the company to advance our commitment to privacy, and we use a leading privacy consent management platform, powered by One Trust, which enables users to decide whether and how their data can be shared with ad partners. 

Grindr has never allowed for targeted advertising by profiling our users or based on special categories of personal data such as ethnicity, political views, or sexual orientation. One of the most common pieces of feedback we hear from our users is a desire for more relevant advertising. Yet one of the reasons the advertising users see is not always relevant to them is because, contrary to standard industry practices, Grindr explicitly chooses not to share data on users’ age, gender, or location with advertisers even if the user opts in to get personalized ads.

Advertising on our platform, while a small portion of our total revenue, helps defray the costs of Grindr’s free offering, which includes many more features than the free products of our industry peers. Currently, more than 85% of Grindr’s revenue comes from purchases of subscriptions and add-on products from just 7% of our total users. 

Grindr is proud to support and connect the global LGBTQ+ community. We believe regulators should treat Grindr users the same way they treat users of other dating apps that cater largely to the straight community.

We look forward to continuing our commitment to privacy as we work to serve our users and create a world where our community is free, equal and included.

As we stand at the crossroads of history and progress, it's crucial that we queer people know the ins and outs of the intricate tapestry that has shaped the timeline of  LGBTQ rights. From Stonewall to “Don’t Say Gay,” this comprehensive look at LGBTQ activism navigates through key milestones and current legislative threats. It serves as both a retrospective and a call to action, touching on pivotal moments like when same-sex marriage was legalized in the U.S. and the role of LGBT history in schools. 

LGBTQ pioneers and their lasting impact

The question "Who was the first gay person?" is not merely an academic or historical inquiry. It's a quest that serves a vital function in acknowledging the often-erased contributions of LGBTQ individuals throughout history. 

While it's nearly impossible to definitively identify the first person who openly declared themselves as gay due to limited historical records and societal norms that have marginalized LGBTQ identities, the endeavor to answer this question serves a broader, more impactful purpose. According to a recent study by the American Bar Association, the inclusion of LGBTQ history in educational curricula has a direct correlation with lower rates of bullying and improved mental health among LGBTQ youth.

Pillars of LGBTQ activism

Two organizations that have paved the way in chronicling and advocating for LGBTQ rights in the U.S. are The Society for Human Rights and The Advocate.

The Society for Human Rights

Founded in 1924 in Chicago by Henry Gerber, The Society for Human Rights is considered America's first gay rights organization. Although it was short-lived due to societal pressures and legal challenges, its existence was groundbreaking. Early organizations like The Society for Human Rights laid the essential groundwork for future LGBTQ activism, signaling that collective action was not just a dream but a possibility.

The Advocate: A half-century of LGBTQ journalism

Since its founding in 1967, The Advocate has been a pivotal force in LGBTQ journalism, influencing public opinion and policy decisions for over half a century. Michael Bronski, a professor of LGBTQ studies at New York University and author of The Pleasure Principle: Sex, Backlash, and the Struggle for Gay Freedom, emphasized in a 2017 New York Times interview that The Advocate was the first to take the gay rights movement seriously. 

Having covered a wide array of topics from the Stonewall Riots to the AIDS crisis and the Obergefell decision legalizing same-sex marriage, The Advocate remains a vital platform for news, politics, and culture pertinent to gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and the broader LGBTQ community.

Beyond the heteronormative lens

These trailblazing organizations and publications like The Advocate have documented history and challenged the heteronormative lens, offering a more inclusive narrative. They recognize the diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity, and the complexities of queer and transgender experiences. By doing so, they honor the resilience and courage of early LGBTQ activists, from the Mattachine Society to the Daughters of Bilitis, and set the stage for the broader timeline of LGBTQ rights. These platforms have been instrumental in combating homophobia, celebrating Pride Month, and fostering a sense of gay pride within the community.

The LGBTQ rights timeline

The timeline of LGBTQ rights is not a linear path but a dynamic, ongoing struggle. Each legal milestone reflects societal attitudes and catalyzes change, influencing public opinion and individual experiences within the LGBTQ community. The fight for LGBTQ rights is a collective endeavor, requiring the continued vigilance and activism of all who advocate for equality and justice.

1960s: The Civil Rights Movement and Stonewall Riots

The 1960s set the stage for LGBTQ activism, with the Civil Rights Movement laying the groundwork for broader social justice initiatives. The Stonewall Riots in 1969 served as a catalyst, sparking the modern LGBTQ rights movement. According to the Library of Congress, Stonewall significantly shifted public opinion and galvanized activism.

1973: The birth of PFLAG

Jeanne Manford's founding of PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) created a vital support network that became a cornerstone in the fight for LGBTQ rights. With over 400 chapters nationwide, PFLAG has been instrumental in educational outreach and policy lobbying.

2009: Expanding hate crime definitions

The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act extended federal hate crime definitions to include attacks based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability. This marked a significant step in recognizing LGBTQ individuals as potential targets of hate crimes.

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2011: The end of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell”

Repealing this U.S. military policy removed a significant barrier for gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals serving openly in the armed forces, advancing the cause of equal rights within military ranks.

2015: The Obergefell ruling

The Supreme Court's landmark ruling legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, shifting societal attitudes and also setting legal precedents for future LGBTQ rights legislation.

2016: Workplace protections extended

Executive Order 13672 prohibited federal contractors from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity, offering workplace protections to millions.

2020: Bostock v. Clayton County

This Supreme Court ruling extended Title VII protections to LGBTQ individuals, making workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity illegal.

2023: The rise of anti-LGBTQ legislation

According to the Human Rights Campaign, state legislatures are currently considering 238 anti-LGBTQ bills, highlighting the urgent need for continued activism and vigilance against homophobia and transphobia.

Current legislative attacks: A disturbing trend

Navigating the intricate landscape of LGBTQ rights reveals an unsettling reality: a surge in anti-LGBTQ legislation. This isn't a random occurrence; it's a coordinated attack on the rights of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender individuals. According to the Human Rights Campaign, 2021 alone saw more than 175 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced, with more than 25 becoming law.

Spotlight on discriminatory bills: A direct assault on LGBTQ rights

Among the myriad of proposed laws, some are particularly egregious. Florida aims to ban transgender students from participating in school sports aligned with their gender identity, while Texas allows parents to sue schools for teaching LGBTQ topics. These laws don't just marginalize; they attack the fabric of LGBTQ rights and contribute to increased rates of homophobia and transphobia.

Key anti-LGBTQ bills under consideration

• Florida’s "Don't Say Gay" bill, officially known as the Parental Rights in Education Bill, restricts teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in early education and opens the door for parents to sue schools.
• The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023 aims to prevent transgender girls and women from participating in school sports that align with their gender identity.
• The Religious Freedom Restoration Act could enable businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ individuals based on religious beliefs.
• The Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act allows child welfare agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ individuals in service provision.
• The Conversion Therapy Ban Repeal Act seeks to overturn bans on conversion therapy, a discredited practice aiming to change sexual orientation or gender identity.

Human Rights Campaign's call to action

The Human Rights Campaign has labeled this legislative surge as a "coordinated attack" on LGBTQ rights, urging individuals to oppose these bills. Their call isn't just rhetoric; it's a lifeline in a sea of legislative hostility, especially as we approach Pride Month, traditionally marked by gay pride parades and activism. The fight for LGBTQ rights is far from over, and it requires the collective effort of all who advocate for equality, justice, and the recognition of the full spectrum of sexual orientation and gender identity.

What can you do?

If you find yourself alarmed by this legislative assault, you're not alone. Nor are you powerless. Here are some actionable steps:

• Contact your elected officials. Make your voice heard.
• Donate: Support organizations fighting for LGBTQ rights.
• Local activism: Grassroots movements often start at the community level. Get involved.

Get active on Grindr

Whether you’re looking for love, friendship, or community, Grindr is a great place to start. And with more than 10 million active users, you’re sure to find others who share your passion for the ongoing fight for LGBT rights and social equality. 

Get the Grindr app, or browse hands-free with Grindr Web — the same Grindr you know and love, now available on your laptop or PC with no download required — and let's make every tap a step toward a more inclusive world. 

Today marks the first day back in the office for many Grindr employees, and the positive energy is palpable. As we return to working together IRL as part of our hybrid work model, I look forward to connecting with our Grindr colleagues and community in person. I strongly believe–and the research shows–that regularly working together in person will position us and our business for success, and from that success we can help change the world for the better.

We are at an inflection point where we can capitalize on Grindr's global potential and audaciously and passionately go after our mission to be the global gayborhood in your pocket. As part of that, our vision is to make the world and lives of our users freer and more just through our success as a business. 

We have a huge opportunity that’s ours to seize, and in order to do that, we need to be intentional about how we operate and continue to move the company forward.

Our drive and perseverance have always stemmed from our commitment to the LGBTQ+ community. We aim to influence positive change and leave an indelible mark, not just as a platform, but as a movement. Collaboration, innovation, and our unique Grindr synergy are essential for us to do this effectively.  It is critical for us to be better connected so we can collaborate more effectively, coach and mentor each other, and  achieve these goals as a team.  

Building our next chapter 

Over  the last 18 months, we've learned a thing or two about adapting to a post-pandemic world. While remote work brought its perks, it has also become clear that in-person collaboration is invaluable. And while a return to office might sound like a return to old times, let’s be clear: today does not mark a return to old ways, but rather an evolution into  something better. 

We’ve seen via our continued financial and business growth what works: having a very clear focus on the key initiatives that are most valuable to our users and pushing for significant productivity and stellar operational execution. This focus and taking advantage of our time together in person will take our business to the next level.

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That's the ethos behind our hybrid work model of two-days-a-week in office. It offers a balanced blend of office and remote days, designed with both productivity and flexibility in mind. Our hybrid work model isn’t an outlier. In fact, we're proud to say it offers more leeway than many of our peers’ in-office policies.  

Our decision to adopt a hybrid work model was in the works for quite some time. We did our research and charted our course. Beginning in the second quarter of this year we took the first steps toward a hybrid work model by starting to recruit engineers primarily in Chicago, one of the company’s two engineering hubs. 

As we welcome teams back to the office today, wherever that may be, our focus is clear: ensuring Grindr remains a valuable product and resource for the global LGBTQ+ community and an exceptional place to work.

Returning to work as a unified community

We're looking forward to further building our community of Grindr colleagues, spending more time together, and galvanizing our collective ambition. Together, we'll continue to set ambitious goals and deliver remarkable products that reflect the spirit of the LGBTQ+ community. 

I strongly believe that we need to be together in person on a regular basis in order to have  the most success as a business. And from that success we can help change the world for the better. This new chapter will allow us to attract talent that embraces collaboration, strengthen our identity by building strong working relationships, and establish  healthy productivity goals and mutual accountability that will make us truly unstoppable.

And we’re building an amazing team that will help us achieve these goals. For those interested in joining us, check out our open positions here.

#WorkItWednesday is Grindr's feature on employees and programs at the heart of the work we do to connect the LGBTQ community with each other and the world around them. In this edition, we chat with Trey Sands about his experience joining Grindr as an iOS Engineer.

Meet Trey Sands (he/him), iOS Engineer at Grindr on the Core Squad!

Trey graduated from Reed College with a bachelor’s in Economics-Mathematics. After graduation, Trey moved across the country to Washington DC where he worked at the Federal Reserve as a research assistant for three years before graduate school, until the Midwest called him back. After graduating from the University of Chicago with his Masters in Computational Analysis and Public Policy in 2016, he fell in love with the city and remained there. Trey spent a few years working with tech consulting firms before landing his role at Grindr in January 2022. Having spent some time working with various teams in the org, Trey now works as part of the Core Squad which supports Grindr’s mobile app and core functionality.

Check out Trey’s Grindr story below, and take a look at our careers page to learn more about our open job opportunities.

Have you always worked in the tech industry? What drew you to app development or the dating space specifically?

I first left college working in economic research, spending a few years in Washington, D.C. for the Federal Reserve. But as I went back for a graduate degree in machine learning and public policy, the software engineering classes I took fit perfectly with my knack for puzzles coupled with the opportunity to think through creative solutions for tech challenges. After graduation, I wanted to work in the tech space a bit to shore up that experience before potentially returning to the policy world. I’ve since worked on a wide variety of apps, from mobile shopping to credit servicing, to the Internet of Things. After consulting on these projects, I was looking to have a bigger stake in my work. Grindr is the first time that I’ve been able to contribute and work on an app that I’ve used and love - so every bug I’ve fixed hasn’t been just business as usual for me, it has been personal.

Tell us why you joined Grindr. What do you love most about our mission and our culture?

As a long-time user of the app, I have had the opportunity to meet so many different friends through Grindr. The app was incredibly useful when I (twice) moved across the country to a whole new city and had to find a new circle of people to connect with. Plus, having a major part of my identity and life in my work isn’t something I expected to get outside of public policy. Now I can help out my community from the tech side and have a genuine passion for what I do. I’m also a big fan of the advocacy work that we’ve managed to accomplish with Grindr for Equality. Beyond connecting the global queer community, we have been able to really make an impact on LGBTQ social issues from our Grind the Vote campaigns to our recent monkeypox information and coordination efforts. Grindr really is a place where you can have a big impact for the global queer community.

How have you grown professionally while on our team?

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Prior to working at Grindr, the closest I had come to functional programming was reading the Wikipedia article on the imperative programming paradigm. I’d worked a bit in unidirectional data flows, but mainly through one-way dependency injections. After some Zoom calls and long slack chats across all different squads as well as my immediate team leads, now, I’m able to think in a Reactive paradigm rather than purely in past objects and protocols. I can read a long strip of maps and filters and be able to decipher exactly what the app does given certain data states.

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Reading through code review comments has in itself made me a better engineer through the technical explanations to comments and questions my colleagues leave. One of my coworkers wrote a ReactiveX cheat sheet to help himself out when he was first learning RxSwift and later shared it with the rest of the team. I, inspired by him and a bit of the Emily Dickinson I had been reading before bed, decided to do something similar and wrote a cheat sheet but in rhyming quatrains. I would have never expected to be able to flex my poetry writing and computer science knowledge at the same time, but my Grindr coworkers encouraged me, and I don’t think I would have found that with other companies.

What interesting problems is your Grindr team solving for and what are you looking forward to for the future?

Grindr’s been around for 13 years now. While there are definitely parts of the app code that are newer than others, adding any additional features to older parts of the code presents interesting challenges for the team to work through. To continue reducing this tech debt, we’ve had some major refactors in just the short time that I have been here.

For instance, we completely redesigned the user’s profile using a more modular and composable service-driven architecture. This has in turn greatly decreased development time on some features we’ve added to the profile while increasing our unit and UI test coverage. At the same time as this refactor, Grindr released other major features like Albums and Boost. Being able to do this two-pronged approach of changing the past and updating our present keeps our app and our codebase agile and ready for the future.

Do you have a favorite memory of working at Grindr so far or a moment that stands out to you that really captures what it is like to work here?

I forgot to bring a hat with me when Grindr had its first post-2020 all-staff in-person meeting…in July…in LA. That’s far too much sun for a shaved head like mine. It was also the first time I was going to be meeting most of my coworkers in real life, as we’re a remote-first company, and I’d only been there for six months. I ended up buying a couple of hats, all bright, garish, and beautiful, which I definitely would not have worn at some of my past jobs. But here I wore them and was celebrated!

Being able to be my authentic self at work without worrying about how people might react to me has really been a transformative experience. Being able to do what I love, at a company I love, with people who celebrate me - - I couldn't ask for a better work experience.  

If you are looking for a company that is not only mission-driven but also shares a collaborative and supportive engineering culture, you should consider applying for roles today!

At Grindr, we believe all companies, including health insurance companies, should move to an informed consent model for all gender-affirming care. It’s the human thing to do.

We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve partnered with Level, FOLX, and Included Health to provide more holistic and inclusive healthcare options for our employees, with specific focus on gender affirmation assistance for our trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming employees. We hope we can work with other companies to help them follow suit.

Members of the LGBTQ+ community have much lower participation in the healthcare system than straight people because it’s often hard to find medical providers who are both compassionate and competent in issues they typically face. Queer people are 3x more likely to avoid care; 50% less likely to get the prescriptions they need; and 29% of trans people surveyed by the Center for American Progress reported being refused medical care because of their actual or perceived gender identity.

We wanted to make sure that our employees have best-in-class healthcare and keep them from being one of these statistics, which is why we made some changes. But first, some more about the issue.

Tackling the healthcare issue for trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming employees

While some insurance companies say they offer gender affirmation assistance, access to that assistance often comes with so many hurdles that many people give up. Some pioneering companies created their own programs, which was a big step in the right direction. Many of those plans adopted the WPATH Standards of Care (last updated 2012), which are outlined in a 120-page document. While assuredly well-intended in their creation, the application of these standards can make it very difficult, and often harmful, for some trans employees to access care. At Grindr, we are strong supporters of the informed consent model for adults, and that is how we have set up our program.

For example, when following the WPATH standards, trans people seeking genital surgery are required to see two different and independent mental health providers. They usually have to complete multiple sessions with both providers before the providers will attest to their gender identity. No CisHet person has to go through such a process before accessing care.

In talking to employees about the process, one described it like this: “They ask you to tell them how you feel, and you tell them something like, ‘I feel I would be happier as the other gender’ and they write that down and charge you hundreds or thousands of dollars over multiple sessions before they will send that note to your doctor. Obtaining this note often requires you to conform to the provider’s idea of a 'man' or 'woman' to get them to believe you.” In this case, the patient is trying to placate their providers and ease the providers’ mind instead of the other way around. This role reversal can be actively harmful.

Being transgender, non-binary, or gender non-conforming does not affect people’s ability to make sound medical decisions. For people who are queer, there should be no more barriers to care than there are for CisHet people.

The good news is that there are providers coming into the space that want to help companies figure this out.

Our Plan

Our first step was to get our LGBTQIA+ employees and their dependents back into the healthcare system. Included Health provides, among other things, a concierge service to help employees and their dependents find providers who are both competent in their field and compassionate towards members of the queer community. People who feel confident in and comfortable with their providers are more likely to get the care they need.

Our second step was to address our employees’ reported difficulty getting hormone therapy. Most traditional insurance plans require monthly coordination between one’s doctor, pharmacist, and the insurance company to approve a prescription. Any lapse or delay in this coordination can cause a disruption to an employee’s hormone therapy, which can have a number of negative consequences. Our employees reported that these disruptions to care happened more often than not, so we partnered with FOLX to facilitate the delivery of hormone therapies without requiring monthly coordination between one’s doctor, pharmacist, and the insurance company.

We then worked to understand the broader scope of assistance people need on their gender affirmation journey. Through conversations with employees combined with research, we created a list of the assistance employees typically need. We found the types of affirming support fell into three buckets: social (e.g. vocal training, hair removal, wardrobe support), legal (e.g. changing names on government documents), and surgical.

We partnered with Level, who administers our perks, to determine how to construct and administer the gender affirmation offering. Level has been an incredibly helpful guide for us through these uncharted waters and we are so grateful for their commitment to helping us bring this offering to fruition. All three of our partners – Included Health, FOLX, and Level – were key to pulling this all together.

Grindr's program is funded to cover 90% of all of those costs. This money will be taxed as income. If an employee elects, we will "gross-up" the money to cover the taxes. The gross-up comes with a one-year retention agreement. If the employee does not opt for the gross-up, there is no retention requirement to access this assistance.

Again: we believe that all companies, including the insurance companies, should move to an informed consent model for gender-affirming care. If you’d like more information on how we created our plan, please reach out to [email protected]. The time is now to make healthcare inclusive for everyone.

-Heidi Schriefer, VP of People & Places | LinkedIn

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Today we’re excited to announce the beta launch of Grindr Web, a new way for our community to stay connected right from their computer. Now you can browse and chat from the comfort of your own laptop or on the go via your mobile browser.

Now, you might be wondering: “Uh…why do I need a web version when I already have the app?” Well, we’re glad you asked. There are a ton of benefits to using Grindr Web:

Accessibility

Sometimes you don’t have your phone handy, or maybe you can’t tell if someone looks like the guy who works at your gym who you’ve always had a crush on. Grindr Web displays larger photos to match the often larger screens of desktop and laptop computers. Web experience also shows 6 profiles across as opposed to the 3 profiles displayed on the App. Grindr Web makes it easier to chat with potential connections, letting you chat while also browsing the grid (for the multitaskers among us) all from your keyboard and including shortcuts.

Ease of Use

Many people find it easier to navigate computer browsers than apps. With Grindr Web, you can chat with a possible hookup while you answer your boss’s email on your phone. By enabling both app and web options, we let users choose the experience that’s right for them whether they're at home, at work, or needing to log onto a friend’s laptop because their phone died in the middle of setting up a date.

Discretion

For people who aren’t yet out of the closet they may feel less comfortable downloading the Grindr App and keeping it on their phone. Grindr Web creates an easy way to reach the Grindr community without having to keep an app installed. Download once, set up your subscription, and you can connect with the community from any browser to chat with folks around you. Also, for discreet users, if you get caught browsing Grindr on your laptop, just press the ESC key three times fast and Grindr Web will close and open Google. Your boss won’t even notice that you haven’t been diligently googling vacation recs for him.

Grindr Web is exclusively available to our XTRA and Unlimited subscribers. If you’d like to try, make sure to upgrade your account on the app and then visit web.grindr.com on your computer or mobile browser to log in.

Don’t stare at your phone all day. Log on to Grindr Web and see how much more fun it is to type “Hey man, what’s up?” on your laptop.
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It's hard to believe that in 2009 a small, location-based queer social networking app would become a global phenomenon with millions of users and turn into a pop culture mainstay, featured in everything from the New York Times to SNL to the zeitgeistiest TV shows of the day.

Now, 13 years into that journey, with lots of lessons under our belt and millions more users, we want to celebrate this milestone with the people who were monumental in getting us to where we are today. We asked some of our most-tenured employees about their Grindr journey: the most surprising moments, what makes them proud, and what they’re looking forward to next. Cheers to another 13 years.

Monty Suwannukul, Product Design Director

What’s been the most surprising part of your journey at Grindr?

I think people imagine the Grindr office as a bunch of horny dudes with go-go dancers performing 24/7. While that might be an accurate description of our holiday parties, it is far from the reality of what makes Grindr run on a day to day basis. I’m continually surprised by the quality of people that I work with; Grindr employees are smart, passionate and a lot of fun. Many of my best friends are people I met while working here. Because of who we serve, open-mindedness is a prerequisite to success here and that builds a beautiful culture.

What are you most proud of from your time here?

I remember when we launched the full redesign of Grindr in 2016 and I got a glimpse of my designs in the hands of people in the wild. I was at Revolver in WeHo and I had a real proud mom moment when I saw someone open up that screen of blue and yellow chat bubbles. That was my first big launch with Grindr, but I’ve had my hands in hundreds of releases since then.

I’m proudest when I hear stories of how our app is used to find connection by people who would otherwise have no options. Many probably think of dangerous anti-gay countries we see on the news, but no matter where you are in the world, there are people opening the app and finding that they aren’t alone. I find that so inspiring.

What are you most excited about with where Grindr is now and where it’s headed?

When I talk to people about Grindr, there is this incredible pattern that I’ve seen emerge. People say Grindr is only good for hookups. Then, when I ask about their best experiences on the app, they talk about the friends they made, the love they found, and the adventures they had. There’s a tremendous amount of opportunity here to enrich the lives of the people who use Grindr, and I’m super excited to try to capture that.

Nick Penna, Engineering Manager

What’s been the most surprising part of your journey at Grindr?

On my second day of work I went to the annual summer party and at 11am was served endless champagne and vodka from backless speedo boys. It wasn’t clear to me on those first couple days, but I quickly found that Grindr was an amazing place for me to learn and grow professionally. I have learned so much here, and have had the pleasure of working with so many dedicated and smart coworkers who still inspire me every day.

What are you most proud of from your time here?

I’m proud that I lead a team that focuses on improving our user’s experience. I take it seriously that Grindr is a vital part of many people’s lives, and I’m proud of my part in its history. There are always challenges at work, and I am thankful and proud of my team for all the hard work they do to keep our Grindr users at the front of their minds.

What are you most excited about with where Grindr is now and where it’s headed?

I’m always looking forward to new Grindr feature releases or product updates and seeing them being used by people to express themselves. I am excited that the company is in a position to make 2022 an amazing year for introducing new and awesome Grindr experiences to the community.

Alice Hunsberger, CX Senior Director

What’s been the most surprising part of your journey at Grindr?

How often I get to talk about butts and nipples! I knew it would be a lot, but it's... a lot.

What are you most proud of from your time here?

Building a great team. When I started here, there was no CX team at all, and now we have a group of really user-obsessed folks who are making a big impact, both for our community and the business.

What are you most excited about with where Grindr is now and where it’s headed?

I love how laser-focused Grindr is on our community and what they want and need. We're really ramping up in our ability to deliver more ways for people to make genuine connections with each other, and there are so many exciting ideas in the works. This really feels like just the beginning!

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Matt Chang, Digital Marketing Specialist

What’s been the most surprising part of your journey at Grindr?

The most surprising part of my journey at Grindr is that when I started working here Grindr was just a small start-up. I could never have predicted at the time that in just a few years we’d be a major player in the dating app sphere and in the tech world.

What are you most proud of from your time here?

I’m proud to be part of one of the most iconic and influential dating apps in the world, and I’m more proud that we help the queer community connect on a daily basis.

‍What are you most excited about with where Grindr is now and where it’s headed?

I’m really excited to see where we are headed because we for sure aren’t slowing down.

Munir Estevane, API Engineering Director

What’s been the most surprising part of your journey at Grindr?

I can say something that still surprises me is how engaged and global our userbase is. Grindr has worldwide recognition. Few other apps can claim to have been prominently mentioned in two episodes of Silicon Valley, for example. And whenever something seems out of place, users make their voice heard on social media, newscasts, podcasts, what have you.

What are you most proud of from your time here?

I'm proud of having established software development processes that have withstood the test of time, with systems that are resilient, high quality code, and onboarding tools that make it simple for new engineers to come on board.

What are you most excited about with where Grindr is now and where it’s headed?

I'm most excited about our current growth, getting more engineers on the team so we can better help our users live their best lives.

Michelle Kelly, Brand Partnerships

What’s been the most surprising part of your journey at Grindr?

Learning that a lot of my friends met on Grindr and are now in happy relationships. It’s also impressive to see how many more daily active users there are since I started in 2016; I had no idea we were growing at such a rapid pace, and I’m excited to be a part of the journey.

What are you most proud of from your time here?

I am proud of my team and the people I work with - they truly are my family. I’ve met some of the most wonderful people working here over the past 5 ½ years.
As a member of the ad sales team, I am also proud to see the types of brands that have partnered with us and shown support for our community.

What are you most excited about with where Grindr is now and where it’s headed?

I’m excited to see Grindr grow and continue to make dating, culture, and the LGBTQ+ community instantly accessible to gay, bi, and trans people – everywhere.

Serge lamas, Senior QA Engineer

What’s been the most surprising part of your journey at Grindr?

During my tenure at Grindr I’ve experienced many varied roles: I’ve been an event planner, facilities coordinator, EA, personal trainer, and now I’m part of the QA team. The opportunities Grindr has given me to grow and evolve have been incredible, and shows how dedicated the company is to nurturing talent.

What are you most proud of from your time here?

So many, but I’d have to say the biggest is Grindr for Equality. It feels good to be part of a company that actually cares about the LGBTQ+ community.

What are you most excited about with where Grindr is now and where it’s headed?

I’m so excited to keep seeing the app grow into an even bigger global community.

Our Light through Darkness

Artist and curator LaQuann Dawson talks his collab with Impulse Group NYC and the importance of Black queer art.

If “It’s always darkest before the dawn,” then last year was pitch black.

2020 certainly felt like a collaboration between the darkest forces on our planet: racism, poverty, disinformation, and disease. While the entire world was battling a pandemic, activists fought to bring another deep-seated crisis to the forefront: police brutality and racial injustice. In the thick of all of this, the nonprofit Impulse Group partnered with Creative Director LaQuann Dawson to create an initiative entitled “Our Light Through Darkness” in celebration of Black queer art and visibility.

We spoke to LaQuann about the project, his inspirations, quarantine, and how he’s finding the light in 2021.

HI! HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF?

Hello! My name is LaQuann Dawson. I am a photographer, filmmaker and a director from Ohio, now living in Brooklyn, NY. I am Black, I am Mexican, I am gay as f**k. Today, I am the creative director and curator of a beautiful anthology, Our Light Through Darkness in collaboration with Impulse Group NYC.

WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE YOU RIGHT NOW?

Physically, I am currently in Oaxaca, Mexico, tucked far away from the winter and people stacked on top of each other. I have a lot of editing to do and I disenjoy being cold equally as much as I dislike wearing a lot of clothes.

WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?

I am on the beach drinking a margarita under the stars wearing the most breathable knit shorts I have ever owned and a necklace my kid sister gifted me. Mentally, I feel calm for the moment.

WHAT’S BEEN GETTING YOU THROUGH QUARANTINE?

Work and community have gotten me through this pandemic, really. At the very beginning of quarantine I couldn’t even be bothered because my head had been glued to Premiere Pro and Capture One working on documentaries, music videos, and photo edits. Time moves so quickly when I am creating. In the summer I was busy riding bikes and falling in love. Now, I am seeking peace and escape in a bigger, more difficult way. A way that is very much alone some days, but not too lonely. I’ve learned so much this past year about how and why and when I need space. Today, searching for those answers is what’s getting me through.

SO LET’S TALK OUR LIGHT THROUGH DARKNESS! CONGRATS ON THE PROJECT. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT IT.

Thank you so much! I am so proud and excited for this project to finally be released! Impulse Group NYC reached out to me in February of 2020 to shoot a digital campaign celebrating the lives of NYC’s queer community. Impulse Group NYC is a non-profit sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. The group was formed to engage, support, and connect gay men throughout New York City and New Jersey. Due to COVID-19, this digital campaign turned into a coffee table book with the same goal. Impulse envisioned this happening across a few days in the studio where I’d photograph members of the community to fit a number of themes. I thought this sounded great, but something was off. We were missing an opportunity to truly celebrate the community and their stories. I didn’t want to walk into this door alone and I knew of many talented artists who could make this book something really special.

I was introduced to the anthologies Brother to Brother by Essex Hemphill and In the Life by Joseph Beam when I first moved to NYC. Since then, I’ve found so many collections of work from Black and queer artists. Digestible bodies of work that I could revisit often. Colorful, vast works that were diverse in content because of the many voices included. I wanted our book to do that too. I’m not an expert on the queer experience, only my own, so I proposed Impulse Group NYC allow me to curate the book and invite the community in a much larger way. They said yes. Our Light Through Darkness is the result of that.

WHAT WAS YOUR PROCESS LIKE IN DIRECTING THIS BOOK?

Whew! The creation of this book took so much work, time, effort, vision and collaboration. I worked on everything from the initial moodboards, research and reference materials, I read so many interviews. I sought out advice from folks who have done this before, built the list of artists, sent the outreach emails, submission forms, cover design, hoodie design, the placement of every image and piece of writing in the book, the website, the introduction, making sure everyone involved got paid on time and so so so much more. So many hands went into every moving part of this book; it could not have been possible without collaboration. When I’d become overwhelmed and start to fall off, someone on the team picked up that slack and adjusted our expectations for that task. If any of us had an idea, we all figured out how to make it work or make it better. We kept each other on task. We made sure every decision was made intentionally. We changed our minds through meeting after meeting. We pushed deadlines back. The contributors, the entire Impulse team, Erika Oliver who did all of the graphic design, Courtney Creative PR who handled our press, my friends back home and my mom...the list goes on.

Directing this book has reminded me once again of the power collaboration has and what we can accomplish when we do work together and allow our ideas and our voices to be heard and lifted.

THIS PAST YEAR HAS SEEN MORE VISIBILITY AROUND THE DISPROPORTIONATE DISCRIMINATION BLACK QUEER PEOPLE FACE, ESPECIALLY BLACK TRANS WOMEN—IN WHAT WAYS DOES THIS PROJECT CONTINUE THAT MOMENTUM?

A lack of visibility has for years and years threatened to make small of my community. I continue to realize that since we do not see ourselves in every space, some of us have a difficult time believing in our existence. It is an illusion though, we are not small. This project is on attempt at building a space specifically for us to see ourselves without having to squint. I want this book to look like a mirror to the people who take up its very pages. I hope Picasso Moore, Miss Mojo, Dey Armbrister, Teacoa Rushton and the rest of the artists who inspire me see themselves represented honestly and on their terms. I hope people at home find themselves in this book too. I’ve found an awareness of self to be powerful as f**k. If we can all wield that power it is frightening what is possible for us.

HOW CAN PEOPLE SUPPORT THE PROJECT?

You all can support this book by going to ourlightthroughdarkness.com and order a copy. Post photos when you get your box, and share it with your friends. The proceeds go to Destination Tomorrow and G.L.I.T.S Inc., two NYC-based nonprofits working to provide resources and safety to Black / Brown TLGBQIA+.

KEEPING WITH THE TITLE, HOW DO YOU FIND “LIGHT” THESE DAYS?

I am following the sun wherever it wants me to go. I’ve found that sunlight specifically brings me a joy that nothing else has been able to. Working on Our Light Through Darkness during a pandemic where we couldn’t convene in the same way as before was quite healing. I had a reason to talk to my people, to leave my house and to bounce ideas off of one another. I have two amazing roommates who affirm me daily and protect me—that feels like light. Getting online each day and seeing so much love, support and energy from Black queer people in a time where we’ve been asked to slow down has brought me light. In the past year I’ve found 18 different definitions of light and I am chasing them all.

YOU ALSO WORK WITH MOBI, DIRECT AT RISK MAGAZINE, AND CO-HOST THE HIM PODCAST, HOW DO YOU FIT IT ALL IN?

With heavy eyes, a perpetual pain in my shoulder and an ambitious spirit. The groups you listed are made up of people who keep me warm, celebrated, booked and held. There are many things I want to accomplish for both my community and for myself. All of those things require work and time management. Moving to New York to be gay as f**k and make art has not been exactly easy. I’ve sacrificed many nights of sleep, many meals and some relationships. I’ve had some really rough moments that I’d like to say I’ve learned from. I know that this work is important to me and as exhausting as it can be, it brings me joy and purpose too. I’ve got to keep going so I can continue to grow, to reach people and to build a career that feels safe and full.

HAVE YOU USED GRINDR?

LOL of course! My first kiss came from Grindr. I was outed in college via a screenshot of my torso on my Grindr profile.  

WHAT’S YOUR PROFILE SAY?

My current profile says “photographer visiting - let’s work!” I came to Mexico to work in peace, solitude, curiosity and warmth just as much as I came here to relax.

WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE GRINDR EXPERIENCE?

Toward the end of 2019, I had a conversation with a man on Grindr that turned into something very beautiful. Temporary, but beautiful still. Shamelessly, I am one of those guys on Grindr who will have a quick conversation and then disappear (aka ghost). I am someone who is big on protecting my emotional energy as well as my physical body and space. I don’t usually trust hookups or dates and sometimes I feel I might be wasting someone’s time or putting myself in danger, so I usually keep to myself. This man I was talking to had me grinning and laughing and blushing with every message. I was smiling so much into my phone that I felt like a damn 12 year old. I gave him my number: endless laughter and smiles still. I can be a pretty serious person so I love when someone can make me laugh.

Eventually I asked, “Ok so where are we going?”

We ended up at the movies (my favorite) to see Knives Out (highly recommend) and then had dinner and a drink. He was just as charming in person and so beautiful and smiling. I don’t know if at the time I realized it was a date because people don’t use the word “date” that much in my life, but it was one of the most pleasant first dates I’ve ever been on. I’ll never forget it.

WHAT ARE YOU “LOOKING” FOR?

I’m looking for safety, excitement and joy. I am looking for sunlight and laughter and places that are meant for me and my people. I am looking for freedom in every sense of the word. I want to build any of those things that cannot be found. I’m looking for people to build with.

HAVE A MESSAGE FOR GRINDR USERS?

Please be kind to one another, we are all looking for our people or person. Someone to make us smile, shout, cum, home. I know this seeking often feels so urgent and necessary. It is, but let’s allow each other grace, love and kindness in our search. Grindr has brought myself and many others some beautiful moments, but I have also witnessed violence in the name of “preference.”

I challenge us all to understand the root of our preferences, to learn who taught us what and who to like or respect. I challenge us to see what it looks like to unlearn preference, to remove hate from our bios and to be open to love.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO POST-QUARA?

The movies and the summer time. I love the summer and I love going to the movies and walking home at night. Once theaters open back up, I’m reserving a week's worth of movie tickets. I will watch literally anything.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO PLUG?

Y’all please scroll to the bottom of ourlightthroughdarkness.com and support the artists who made this book so special. In addition to buying the book, buy their prints and hoodies, hire them for projects, give them a follow and share their work. We bust our asses on this work and it deserves its day in the sun.

Thank you to Impulse for offering us this space and for allowing us to build it with you. This work is more important than you even know. Thank you Grindr for having me, I am so grateful.

“Our Light Through Darkness” is available for purchase here. All proceeds benefit Destination Tomorrow and G.L.I.T.S., Inc.

‍PROFILEBLOOP

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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has left the already vulnerable Ukrainian LGBTQ+ community in an even worse situation. Like the rest of the world, we at Grindr have been thinking about what we could do. Here’s what we’ve done so far.

Our Employees

‍The news of this crisis underscored the need to get more financial resources to the LGBTQ+ community in Ukraine. Grindr made an immediate financial contribution to OutRight Action International’s Ukrainian Emergency Fund, which is making grants to Ukrainian LGBTQ organizations as well as to organizations in other parts of Europe that are helping displaced Ukrainian queers.

For Ukrainian Grindr users

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‍We are making our safety-related information optimally accessible to Grindr users logging in from Ukraine, to demonstrate our care. We have also translated our safety guide and safety messaging into Ukrainian and shifted the text in such a way that lets folks know we stand with them.

For Grindr users world-wide

‍We knew Grindr users outside Ukraine would want to join in providing life-saving support, so we publicized a fundraiser for OutRight Action International’s Ukrainian Emergency Fund to the global Grindr user base, giving them an opportunity to get involved.

While we are deeply troubled by Russia’s actions toward Ukraine, we are also warmed by the outpouring of generosity and care from our users for the Ukraine LGBTQ+ community. Grindr stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people in this time of crisis, and we add our voice to the chorus calling for a swift end to this military aggression. We will continue to look for ways to support those in need.  

‍Meet Tyler Watson (he/him), Staff Data Scientist with Grindr!

Tyler’s background is in international development and retail. Tyler made the career shift into data science five years ago after a bit of self-study and an immersive data science program. While this may be an uncommon career path for political science undergrads, in Tyler’s own words, “I like to tell people I traded one of the sciences for another - nobody has ever laughed at that, but it’s too early to say those samples represent the overall population.”

Learn more about what brought Tyler to Grindr below and check out our careers page to stay up-to-date on open roles!

What drew you to the dating space?

I hadn’t worked in the dating space before starting with Grindr in 2021! My previous job as a data scientist was focused on using machine learning (ML) to reduce costs at a large retailer. This was full of interesting challenges, but I felt disconnected from our customers and had a feeling the people working on personalization, recommender systems, and other models that customers interacted with directly were having more fun.

It’s in my nature to spend time wondering why people behave the way they do in a given situation. I find it interesting to think about the differences between what people say they want and what they demonstrate they actually want, and how people signal things they want to communicate but might not want to say outright…it was inevitable that I would eventually start working on user-facing data science projects.

Social apps, and dating apps in particular, are huge messy ecosystems where noticing patterns in behavior is extremely rewarding since it ultimately helps you understand people better.  

What was your career path to the software industry?

I started my career as an English teacher in Seoul, South Korea because I was scared to start a desk job right out of college. This was an incredible two-year experience that had a major impact on my personality and how I view the world. One of the most important things I learned was that I wasn’t cut out to teach young kids because I couldn’t help laughing when they misbehaved.

I initially wanted to join the Foreign Service when I moved back, but the US State Department was less interested in that than I was. Fortunately, I was able to find a role in international development consulting (a fairly niche field that only really exists around government agencies that fund foreign aid projects). I spent several years working in project management and business development, which involved international travel to places not often visited by tourists. I was also in meetings with experienced foreign officials and non-profit leaders that had life experiences completely different from mine. I like to think this taught me to look for common ground with people I meet.

I started to get frustrated with the way we made decisions though - our approach was often to just ask the person who had spent the most time in the relevant country what they thought we should do. This was what really pushed me to start looking into data analytics, and then data science. Eventually, I learned enough about data science to know I wanted to dive in and make a full career change - I’ve been working in software ever since.

Tell us why you joined Grindr. What do you love most about our mission and our culture?

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The most rewarding part of working in international development for me was seeing the positive impact our work had on people’s lives. Whether it was increasing access to education, training farmers to be more efficient, or helping small businesses bring their products to market, the work I did ultimately helped improve livelihoods and increased the amount of joy in the world, which was a key driver in my decision to join Grindr.

The opportunity to do challenging and exciting data science work while also facilitating human connection, helping underserved communities, and increasing the amount of joy in the world was what attracted me to Grindr. It's fulfilling to know that if I do my job well, people are more likely to find love, friendship, and sex - whichever of those they need in their life.

How have you grown professionally while on our team?

Working at Grindr has given me ample opportunities to develop my skills and grow my expertise. In my previous role, the scope of my work usually started with data engineers giving me access to the stakeholder team’s data and ended with me delivering a model to ML engineers who would integrate it into that team’s systems. At Grindr, data scientists move much faster and work in areas that may be considered data science, data engineering, product analytics, and machine learning engineering. Developing a wider range of skills has been challenging and rewarding - expanding my focus beyond the narrow part of data science where I had previously focused was one of the things I was hoping for here. It’s made me much more resourceful, and it helps me navigate stakeholder conversations better.

I work with teams outside of engineering much more at Grindr than I did in my previous role. This has given me a cross-functional understanding of how different parts of the business work together. I have also had opportunities to present my work to people around the entire company, which has made me better at adjusting my message to the audience and thinking through what they care about.  

What interesting problems is your Grindr team solving for and what are you looking forward to for the future?

My team is focused on building high-performing machine learning and experimentation platforms at Grindr. Grindr has done a good job serving our users throughout our history (better at some points than at others), but there are features people have come to expect from social and dating apps that we don’t offer yet. The full rollout and adoption of our new experimentation platform will help us get there. It will allow us to observe the impact our product changes have on user behavior and thus make changes to the app that our users are excited about and value.

Setting this foundation will also allow us to evaluate the impact that different versions of ML models have when they are in production. For example, does personalization in the grid lead to a better user experience, or do we see that people prefer the more straightforward distance-based approach we currently use? We are setting standards now for how we will build, evaluate, deploy, and monitor ML models and getting the tools in place to support those standards so that we can speed up our time from idea to production. Once these are in place, the sky's the limit for ML at Grindr - there are countless ways we will be able to help users make meaningful connections.

Do you have a favorite memory of working at Grindr so far or a moment that stands out to you that really captures what it is like to work here?

I was on Team Grindr this summer in the AIDS/Lifecycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. There were about 15 of us on our team, and we spent a week biking 545 miles together to raise funds for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Los Angeles LGBT Center. Our leadership made it clear through their support that participation in this event was important to the company - many of our employees and users have been impacted by HIV and AIDS. In the months leading up to the event, we received repeated shout-outs during our all-hands meetings and encouragement while we trained.

While most companies make charitable donations, I felt like this went far beyond optics and was something Grindr employees at every level were genuinely happy to support. This experience captured the overall environment of positivity and support here. People at Grindr truly believe in supporting the global queer community.

If you are interested in working with talented data scientist like Tyler at a mission-driven company with a human centered product, you should consider applying for open positions with us!

Grindr went to a remote-first office environment in response to the global pandemic. Since then we have made remote-first our ongoing office strategy, while creating regional "hubs" where people can work in person, if and when they choose. We have also been launching and expanding new and existing perks to keep our employees productive and connected.

Our current remote-first office perks include a monthly snack box membership, money to dial-in your home office set-up, regular virtual and in-person team-building events, and monthly stipends for meals and health & wellness activities. We recently added Included Health and FOLX to our line-up of benefit offerings, which are health and wellness services that cater to the unique needs of our LGBTQ+ employees—needs that often go unaddressed by traditional health insurance companies.

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Our philosophy has been to create a perks and benefits offering that is diverse and highly tailorable. It's challenging to ensure our benefit offerings address the needs of our very diverse employee population, but it is incredibly gratifying when we find terrific organizations with which to partner, like Included Health and FOLX Health, who are as equally committed as Grindr is to improving the total health and wellness of all our employees.

Grindr takes great pride in our inclusive and progressive support for our employees and we look forward to announcing additional perks and benefits for employees and their dependents soon.