Bumble sells for 1.3 billion dollars, more than ten times below its stock market debut value: paying users are leaving, and the swipe is getting old

Bumble, the dating app where only women send the first message, is getting a new owner. The company announced it has agreed to a 1.3-billion-dollar (about 1.1 billion euros) buyout by Ithaca Holdings, which will take it off the stock market. In 2021, when it went public, it was valued at around 14 billion dollars (about 12 billion euros). Five years later it's selling for less than a tenth of that figure.

Bumble was founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd in 2014, and the idea of women making the first move set it apart in a crowded market of dating apps. The idea took it to the stock market, but it didn't protect it from what came next.

The numbers are merciless. In the second quarter of 2026, revenue was 211 million dollars (about 180 million euros), down 15.2 percent on the same period last year. The number of paying users fell by 16.4 percent, to around 3.2 million. Swiping is clearly getting harder and harder to charge for.

The sale was recommended by an independent committee of the board, after a review of strategic options and consultations with outside legal and financial advisers. Wolfe Herd, according to the announcement, did not take part in the discussions or vote on the deal. But she isn't leaving. "In Ithaca we have found a partner who shares our vision, believes in our women-first mission and is committed to investing in Bumble's future," she said. She will continue to work actively with Ravi Gupta and John Hegeman of Ithaca.

Off the stock market, Bumble will no longer have to explain to investors every three months why the numbers are falling. The company is already experimenting with AI features and in-person dating. In July it launched Plans, an app that connects people through real-world activities, and Wolfe Herd has announced a new way of interacting that could one day replace swiping.

The irony is hard to miss: the industry that turned meeting someone into a flick of the thumb is now looking for salvation in meeting in person. In the Balkans, where coffee with friends is almost an institution, did we ever really need an app for that?