Grindr makes people raise their game, says CEO
By Sam Rigby
The CEO of Grindr has spoken out in defence of the gay networking app.
Joel Simkhai, who founded the company in 2009, said that the app encourages people to ‘raise their game’.
Speaking to the New York Times about his experience, he said: “Grindr made me get fit and go to the gym more, get better abs.
“People criticize it for being superficial, but I didn’t invent that in human nature. What Grindr does is makes you raise your game.”
He added that he struggles like everyone else to find someone he can truly connect with on the network.
“People think I can have any boy I want, that I can point and have. And I would love that, but it’s not my reality,” he said. “So I’m on the app 10 times a day looking, because you never know when you might have that magical, transformative encounter.”
“I see us as more of a bar than a sex club,” he continued. “If you go to a bar, you don’t want to see someone with his genitals hanging out. Outside the gay community, people would probably say it’s just a hookup app. And absolutely, sex is going on.
“But it’s more than that, because there’s always the possibility you will hit the jackpot and find someone who will move you. It has this potential for making a huge impact in your life.”
More Stories:
> Watch women read out more NSFW gay dating app messages
> Man polls Grindr users on Scottish independence