Business origin stories that'll make you want to run through a brick wall. Released every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Enjoy.
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What do sappy rom-coms, Adele’s “Someone Like You”, and Snuggies covered with potato chip crumbs all have in common. Yup—you guessed it. Breakups. But one woman traded her heartbreak for the title of “World’s Youngest Self-Made Billionaire.” So, turn off your Adele and listen up...  Whitney Wolfe Herd is the 32 year old founder of Bumble, the dating app where women go first, meaning if your beautiful Cinderella doesn’t message you first, the match disappears. Suck on that, gender norms. Bumble went public in February 2021 with an $8.3 billion valuation. But how did Whitney, the former VP of Marketing for Tinder, end up creating Bumble and out-valuing the co-founder of Tinder (who also happens to be her ex)? She created a rival company withstanding not only public scrutiny but the attacks of angry old flames and ruthless lawyers. In 2014, her ex-boyfriend repeatedly called her a "whore" and a "gold digger" during their time working together at Tinder. To make matters worse she was also sexually harassed by Tinder ex-CEO, Sean Rad. (Hey Rad, you're the only one who thinks your junk is hot.) Whitney left Tinder, started Bumble, and sued her fellow co-founders for sexual harassment and discrimination, citing Mateen’s own words that HER co-founder title devalued Tinder. The suit was settled for $1 million, showing Rad and Mateen where they could stick it (ha). As if her ex-boyfriend and his sleazy business partner’s denial of her role in Tinder wasn’t enough, Match Group (the now owners of Tinder), picked a legal fight with Bumble as well. This resulted in a lot of he-said-she-said and ended with a private settlement in 2020 where Whitney and the Bumble team reminded Tinder who really runs the show. Nice try, boys. All this goes to show, if he breaks your heart, you might as well break his balls AND his bank. The next time you’re feeling spiteful, why not turn that box of tissues into a billion dollars and a legacy sure to make him rue the day he crossed you. Who says women can’t make the first move? **Read more FS Stories here. If you liked reading this article, you might also like The Wedge: a quick-to-read weekly e-mail newsletter with awesome business stories that'll increase your creativity and resourcefulness just by reading them. Learn more and sign up here. Comments are closed.
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