Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 9, 2026

Match Group

Match Group, Inc. is an American internet and technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It owns and operates the largest global portfolio of popular online dating services including Tinder, Match.com, Meetic, OkCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, Azar, and other dating global brands. The company was owned by IAC until July 2020 when Match Group was spun off as a separate, public company. As of 2019, the company had 9.3 million subscribers, of which 4.6 million were in North America. Japan is the company's second largest market, after the United States.

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Jun 9, 2026
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Match Group, Inc.
Company type
Public
IndustryOnline dating
FoundedFebruary 2009 (2009-02)
HeadquartersDallas, Texas, U.S.
Key people
Brands
RevenueIncrease US$3.49 billion (2025)
Increase US$873 million (2025)
Increase US$613 million (2025)
Total assetsDecrease US$4.46 billion (2025)
Total equityDecrease US$−254 million (2025)
Number of employees
2,200 (2025)
Websitemtch.com
Footnotes / references
1

Match Group, Inc. is an American internet and technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas.2 It owns and operates the largest global portfolio of popular online dating services including Tinder, Match.com, Meetic, OkCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, Azar, and other dating global brands.34 The company was owned by IAC until July 2020 when Match Group was spun off as a separate, public company. As of 2019, the company had 9.3 million subscribers, of which 4.6 million were in North America.5 Japan is the company's second largest market, after the United States.6

History

Incorporation (2009–2020)

In February 2009, IAC incorporated Match Group as a conglomerate of Match.com and other dating sites it owned.57 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.1819

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.2425

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.27282930

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.3132333435 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.383940 Shar Dubey, then President of Match Group, became the CEO of the company effective March 1, 2020.4142

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

Independence (2020–present)

In July 2020, the company completed the separation from IAC. The separation was the largest ever for IAC, as Match Group then had a market capitalization of $30 billion.44 After the separation, four new members joined Match Group's board of directors: Stephen Baily, Melissa Brenner, Ryan Reynolds and Wendi Murdoch.454647

In August 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Match Group reported growing profit and revenue and surpassed 10 million subscribers across its portfolio.48

In September 2020, Match Group, Spotify, and Epic Games co-founded the Coalition for App Fairness, contesting Apple's App Store and Google's Play store policies. Chiefly, they contested what they characterized as anticompetitive policies, as well as high "app taxes" on sales of developers' apps.4950

In February 2021, Match Group announced that it would be acquiring Korea-based social network company Hyperconnect for $1.73 billion in both cash and stock.51 This deal is reportedly Match Group's largest acquisition to date.

Also in February 2021, Match Group took legal action against dating app Muzmatch, the online Muslim dating app, calling the app a "Tinder Clone".52 The Match Group won the legal battle in London courts in April 2022.53

In April 2022, Shar Dubey stepped down from her position as CEO while remaining on the board of directors. Bernard Kim, the former president of Zynga, became CEO effective from May 31, 2022.54

In July 2022, Match Group acquired The League, a members-only dating app, for an undisclosed sum.55

In June 2023, Match Group launched Archer, a dating app for gay, bisexual, and queer men. The app focuses on a grid-style layout to display multiple users. It uses AI and human moderation to verify profiles.56

In response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, in its 2023 yearly report, Match Group announced that it would fully exit the Russian market by June 30. As of early May 2023, it was implementing measures to limit access to its services. The company said that such moves are part of its commitment to human rights protection.57

On February 4, 2025, the Match Group Board of Directors announced that Spencer Rascoff had been named CEO, effective immediately, with Bernard Kim stepping down as CEO and as a member of the Board.58 Rascoff quickly cut Match's workforce by 13%. 59

In May 2025, Match Group partnered with World, a company backed by Sam Altman that scans a user's biometric features to identify them. The partnership is beginning with a pilot program in Japan.60 In the same month, Match Group acquired HER, which was described as "a dating app for queer women."61

On January 28, 2026, Match was hit by cyberattacks but confirmed that it affected a limited amount of user data.62

In April 2026, Match Group announced a $100 million minority investment in the gay dating app Sniffies. The agreement included an option for Match Group to acquire the remaining equity at a later date, while Sniffies would continue to be founder-led and operate independently.6364

Rape survivors lawsuit

In December 2025, six women who were drugged and sexually assaulted by Denver cardiologist Stephen Matthews, whom they met through dating apps operated by Match Group, filed a lawsuit against Match Group, accusing the company of "accommodating rapists across its products" and of "negligence" in removing known sexual abusers from its platforms and in warning users about them.65

Dating services owned

As of February 2026, Match Group owns the following dating services:66

  • Archer
  • Asian People Meet
  • Babyboomer People Meet
  • BB People Meet
  • Black Christian People Meet
  • Black People Meet
  • Black Professional People Meet
  • BLK
  • Catholic People Meet
  • Chinese People Meet
  • Chispa
  • Delightful
  • Democratic People Meet
  • Divorced People Meet
  • Genxpeoplemeet
  • Her
  • Hinge
  • Indiamatch
  • Interracial People Meet
  • Italian People Meet
  • J People Meet
  • Latino People Meet
  • Ldsplanet
  • Little People Meet
  • Loveandseek
  • Marriage Minded People Meet
  • Match.com
  • Match Japan
  • OkCupid
  • Ourtime
  • People Meet
  • Pet People Meet
  • Plenty of Fish
  • Republican People Meet
  • Salams
  • Seniorblack People Meet
  • Single People Meet
  • Sniffies (minority stake)6364
  • Stir
  • The League
  • Tinder
  • Upward
  • Yuzu
References

References

  1. "2025 Annual Report (Form 10-K)". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. February 26, 2026.
  2. Brown, Christine (May 6, 2020). "Oppenheimer Issues a Buy Rating on Match Group (MTCH)". Smarter Analyst. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  3. Mangalindan, JP (June 25, 2018). "How Match got away with buying 25 dating sites — and counting". uk.finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  4. Jung-hwan, Hwang (February 10, 2021). "Match Group buys Korean video chat startup for $1.73 bn". The Korea Economic Daily.
  5. "Match Group, Inc. 2019 Form 10-K Annual Report". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  6. Bhattacharya, Suryatapa (April 24, 2021). "Match's Winning Formula for Online Dating in Japan Gives Women Control, Makes Men Pay". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  7. Brown, Christine (May 6, 2020). "Oppenheimer Issues a Buy Rating on Match Group (MTCH)". Smarter Analyst. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  8. "Match.com Acquires People Media For $80M In Cash". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  9. Rao, Leena. "Confirmed: Match.com Acquires Singlesnet". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  10. Ehrlich, Brenna. "OkCupid Acquired by Match.com for $50 Million". Mashable. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  11. Grove, Jennifer Van (December 3, 2014). "Why IAC is 'Perfectly Happy' Ignoring Tinder's 'Faux' Billion-Dollar Value". TheStreet. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  12. Abrams, Mike (2016). Sexuality and Its Disorders: Development, Cases, and Treatment. Sage Publications. p. 381. ISBN 9781483309705. Tinder is a hookup/dating app primarily for the smartphone.
  13. Wells, Georgia; Chen, Angela (July 14, 2015). "IAC's Match Plans a New Hookup". Wall Street Journal.
  14. Plaugic, Lizzie (November 19, 2015). "Tinder parent company Match Group is now public". The Verge.
  15. Tepper, Fitz (August 23, 2017). "Match Group tried to acquire Bumble for $450 million". TechCrunch.
  16. Gallagher, Leigh (June 27, 2018). "Match Is the Sweetheart of Online Dating – But Can It Fend Off Facebook and Bumble?". Fortune.
  17. Mohan, Nishant (June 20, 2018). "Match Group Deepens Its Connection With Dating-App Hinge". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  18. Tiffany, Kaitlyn (February 11, 2019). "Nearly all of the big dating apps are now owned by the same company". Vox.
  19. Perez, Sarah (February 7, 2019). "Match Group fully acquires relationship-focused app Hinge". TechCrunch.
  20. McCabe, David (July 19, 2018). "Match Group moves to protect users from sexual assault". Axios. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  21. Carman, Ashley (June 14, 2019). "Tinder co-founder's lawsuit against Tinder parent company moves closer to a trial". The Verge.
  22. Bort, Julie (August 14, 2018). "Tinder founders say former CEO 'groped and sexually harassed' an executive at a company party in a bombshell $2 billion lawsuit". Business Insider.
  23. Ha, Anthony (August 14, 2018). "Tinder founders sue parent companies Match and IAC for at least $2B". TechCrunch.
  24. Ha, Anthony (October 4, 2019). "Former Tinder CEO strikes back against sexual misconduct accusations with defamation lawsuit". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  25. O'Brien, Sara Ashley (October 6, 2019). "Former Tinder executives are locked in a messy legal battle". CNN Digital. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  26. Carman, Ashley (January 22, 2019). "Match Group and Betches' new dating app lets you swipe for your friends". The Verge. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  27. "Internet Giant Match Group Announces Acquisition Of Harmonica App And A New Leadership Team In Egypt". Africa.com. August 7, 2019.
  28. Salah, Mohammed (August 7, 2019). "Online dating giant Match Group acquires Egyptian dating startup Harmonica to expand into Muslim-majority markets". MENAbytes.
  29. "Match Group acquires Harmonica, the Egypt-based "halal Tinder"". Enterprise. August 8, 2019.
  30. Mpala, Daniel (August 7, 2019). "Tinder parent company Match Group acquires Egypt's Harmonica". Ventureburn.
  31. Drayton, Nicole (September 25, 2019). "FTC Sues Owner of Online Dating Service Match.com for Using Fake Love Interest Ads To Trick Consumers into Paying for a Match.com Subscription" (Press release). Federal Trade Commission.
  32. Ivanova, Irina (September 25, 2019). "Government sues Match.com over fake "love interest" messages". CBS News.
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  37. Brewer, Spencer (June 9, 2025). "Match Group Settles FTC's Fake-Unsubscribe Suit". Law360.
  38. Wells, Georgia (January 28, 2020). "Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg Steps Down". The Wall Street Journal.
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  42. Murray, Alan; Meyer, David (January 29, 2020). "Our economic picture is unprecedented in modern history". Fortune.
  43. Harding McGill, Margaret; Primack, Dan (March 10, 2020). "Match Group first tech company to back anti-online child abuse bill". Axios. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  44. Lenihan, Rob (July 2020). "Match Group Dating-Apps Spinoff From IAC Complete". TheStreet. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  45. "IAC and Match Group Complete Full Separation" (Press release). PR Newswire. July 1, 2020.
  46. Ha, Anthony (July 1, 2020). "Match Group completes separation from IAC, new board includes Wendi Murdoch and Ryan Reynolds". TechCrunch.
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  51. Group, Match. "Match Group To Acquire Hyperconnect". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved February 10, 2021. {{cite press release}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  52. "Match Group Sues to Shut Down 'Tinder Clone' for Muslims". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  53. Khan, Aina J. (April 21, 2022). "A Muslim dating site loses a trademark case against an industry giant". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  54. "Match names Zynga President Bernard Kim as CEO, replacing Shar Dubey". May 3, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  55. "Match Group acquires members-only dating app The League". TechCrunch. July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  56. Barr, Kyle (June 1, 2023). "Match Group's 'Archer' App Wants to Offer Gay Men So Many Targets They Can't Miss". Gizmodo.
  57. "Tinder swipes left on Russia a year after invasion". BBC.
  58. "Spencer Rascoff Appointed Match Group Chief Executive Officer" (Press release). February 4, 2025.
  59. Cloonan, Kelly (May 8, 2025). "Match Group to Cut 13% of Workforce Amid Weak Demand from Younger Users". Wall Street Journal.
  60. Conrad, Jennifer (May 2, 2025). "Sam Altman's World Officially Launches in the U.S., Inks Partnerships with Visa, Stripe, and Match Group". Inc. Magazine.
  61. Lung, Natalie (May 20, 2025). "Match Group Acquires 'Her' Dating App for Queer Women". Bloomberg.
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External links