Incorporation (2009–2020)
In February 2009, IAC incorporated Match Group as a conglomerate of Match.com and other dating sites it owned.[5][7] In July 2009, Match Group's Match.com acquired People Media from American Capital for $80 million in cash. People Media operated dating sites BlackPeopleMeet.com and OurTime, which became part of Match Group's portfolio, and powered AOL Personals.[8]
In February 2010, Match.com acquired dating site Singlesnet.[9] In February 2011, Match Group acquired OkCupid for $50 million. OkCupid was the first free, advertising-based product added to the Match Group portfolio.[10]
In 2012, online dating application Tinder was founded within Hatch Labs, a startup incubator run by parent company IAC.[11] The application allowed users to anonymously swipe to like or dislike other profiles based on their photos, common interests and a small bio.[12] In July 2015, Match Group acquired the dating site Plenty of Fish in an all-cash transaction worth $575 million.[13] On November 19, 2015, the company became a public company via an initial public offering, with shares trading on Nasdaq under the symbol MTCH.[14]
In 2017, Match Group launched Tinder Gold, which established Tinder as the highest grossing non-gaming app globally.[11] In the summer of 2017, the company offered to acquire Bumble for $450 million.[15]
In January 2018, Mandy Ginsberg, formerly the CEO of Match’s North American division, replaced Greg Blatt as the global CEO.[16]
In June 2018, Match Group acquired 51% ownership in dating app Hinge, in a move intended to diversify Match’s portfolio and appeal to a wider array of singles.[17] In February 2019, Match Group fully bought out the company.[18][19]
In July 2018, Match Group launched a Safety Advisory Council comprising a group of experts focused on preventing sexual assault across its portfolio of products. The council included #MeToo movement founder Tarana Burke and worked with organizations like the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.[20]
In August 2018, Tinder co-founder Sean Rad filed a $2 billion lawsuit against Match Group, claiming that Match Group and its parent company IAC purposely undervalued Tinder to avoid paying out stock options to the company's original team.[21] Rad and his co-plaintiffs also accused the former Tinder CEO, Greg Blatt, of sexual harassment.[22] The company stated that the allegations were "meritless."[23] In October 2019, Blatt filed a defamation lawsuit against Rad and Tinder founding member Rosette Pambakian seeking at least $50 million in damages.[24][25]
In January 2019, Match Group partnered with media brand Betches to launch a dating app, called Ship, which allowed users to help their friends pick out potential dates.[26]
In August 2019, the company acquired Harmonica, an Egyptian online dating service.[27][28][29][30]
In 2019, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued Match, alleging that Match had engaged in unfair and deceptive trade practices by allowing potentially fraudulent accounts to express interest in non-subscribers, who were enticed to subscribe. The FTC further alleged that Match offered false promises of guarantees, failed to provide support to customers who unsuccessfully disputed charges, and made it overly difficult for users to cancel their subscriptions. Match Group disputed these claims, alleging that they were based upon cherry-picked evidence and that the FTC had misrepresented internal emails.[31][32][33][34][35] In September 2020, Reuters reported that the Department of Justice had closed their probe into the complaint,[36] and the matter was settled out of court in 2025.[37]
In January 2020, Match Group announced an investment and partnership with safety platform Noonlight. The partnership incorporated new safety tools in Match Group's products, including emergency assistance, location tracking and photo verification. In that same month, Mandy Ginsberg stepped down as chief executive officer for personal reasons.[38][39][40] Shar Dubey, then President of Match Group, became the CEO of the company effective March 1, 2020.[41][42]
In March 2020, Match Group became the first tech company to support Earn It Act of 2020, a bipartisan bill with the support of President Trump to combat online child sexual exploitation but widely criticized for its predicted negative impact on privacy and computer security.[43]
