Grindr’s ownership had come under fire as well. Users had also criticized the company’s racial search filter for years, saying it fostered a culture of racism within the Grindr dating scene (the company announced on June 1 that it was removing the filter in solidarity with Black Lives Matter protests). Grindr has been criticized for its data privacy practices in the past, and as recently as January was banned from Twitter for its handling of user privacy. regulators, highlights concern over the threat of Beijing using sensitive data against Americans.īonforte and Marini find themselves in the enviable position of taking over a company with solid profits, an active and dedicated user base in the tens of millions, and a leading position in the gay dating market. The sale of the gay dating app Grindr, forced by U.S. Grindr is being sold by Chinese owner after U.S. Two of the investors in San Vicente, Jeff Bonforte and Rick Marini, announced in a company meeting that they would be Grindr’s chief executive and chief operating officer, respectively.
Then in mid-June, Grindr’s employees got to meet some of their new bosses for the first time. A low-profile investment group, San Vicente Acquisitions, bought the company for $608 million.
citizens, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States announced that it was forcing Kunlun to sell the company to American owners in March 2019.Ī year later, Kunlun reached a deal. Citing fears that the Chinese government could use personal data stored on the app to blackmail U.S.
bought Grindr in 2016 and had hopes of taking the company public in a large stock offering until the U.S. The international ownership saga of America’s most popular gay dating app, Grindr, came to a close last month when a group of American investors took control of the West Hollywood company.Ĭhina-based Beijing Kunlun Tech Co.