Match Group purchased Sapphic App HE She: What’s next?

Last week, the Match Group (a conglomerate that owns Tinder, Hinge, Okcupid, and others announced it had acquired the Sapphic dating app.

Her founder Robyn Exton posted on LinkedIn: “I’m proud to say that Match Group sees the value in the incredible space we’ve built. Perhaps more importantly, they see the power and presence of the Sapphic community.” (Sapphic, like WLW, is an umbrella that describes the non-male attraction to women and women.)

“We are not a niche. We are not an afterthought. We are a global audience with voice, culture and the future. Now we have more support to build support for the future with more care, deeper, deeper, and even more ambitions,” Exton continued. She shared more about her history on the app’s blog.

Spencer Rascoff, CEO of Match Group (will be the soon-to-be CEO of Tinder), shared the position. “We are honored to welcome her into the game group family, and we know that our role is not to change what makes her unique, but to protect it and help it become stronger,” he wrote. (There is no public disclosure of financial terms.)

But despite Rascoff’s enthusiasm and Exton’s optimism, the atmosphere from lesbians and queer women on the web remains… worrying.

In a recent Reddit thread about R/Actuallesbians, users shared their thoughts about the acquisition, and most agreed they were upset by the deal. “It’s time to ask for data deletion and clear the account,” one Reddit user wrote. Another added: “I think it’s time to never use her again.”

The third person commented: “Everything continues,” a phrase about how online services are declining over time.

This may be due to distrust of dating apps, as AI features take over and applications (many of which match groups have) are becoming even.

Others on the thread say the app is either already “terrible” or happy to find its own partner on the app before the acquisition. However, overall, buying seems to be inspiring uncertainty, distrust and even fear (one mentioned a report on how matching groups can hide attack cases).

Exton told Mashable in an email statement that it was a big moment for her. “The competition team got this – they understood the power of the queer platform and provided us with the tools to continue the work we are doing now, but with more resources and support,” she wrote. “What hasn’t changed? Her heart.”

Exton continues to say that her team, goals and values ​​have not changed, and the acquisition is just the beginning. “We will always be here, queer, and still be community-first and are still firmly building a space that is centered around us, celebrates us and grows with us.”

It may be too early to say now whether the game team will fulfill its “protect” her reasons for being unique. Currently, the Sapik community is holding its breath.