The Evil Economics of Tinder: Why They Don’t Want You to Find Love

Hey friend,

Remember when you first joined Tinder? Matches everywhere. Conversations flowing. Dates happening. You thought: “Wow, this is easy!”

Then suddenly… crickets. Matches dried up. Messages stopped. You started wondering: “Am I doing something wrong?”

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: You’re not doing anything wrong. Tinder is.

Today I’m exposing how Tinder makes billions by keeping you single, lonely, and paying.

The Problem Tinder Doesn’t Want to Solve

Think about Tinder’s business model for a second.

Every time someone finds a great match and starts a relationship, Tinder loses TWO customers. The company literally profits when you DON’T find love.

That’s not a bug - it’s the entire business model.

Tinder isn’t a matchmaking service. It’s a loneliness monetisation machine disguised as a dating app.

 How the Trap Works

Phase 1: The Honeymoon

You join Tinder. Suddenly you’re getting tons of matches. Conversations are great. You’re thinking: “This app is amazing!”

That’s deliberate. Tinder boosts new profiles to get you hooked. They need you to experience success so you get addicted to that dopamine hit.

Phase 2: The Drought

Then matches start disappearing. Messages dry up. You’re swiping but nothing’s happening.

You start thinking maybe you need better photos. Maybe you’re too picky. Maybe there’s something wrong with you.

Phase 3: The Pitch

Just when you’re about to delete the app, you get a notification. A match! Or an ad for Tinder Gold promising to “boost your profile” and show you who likes you.

You think: “That’s what I need!” You pull out your card. $14.99/month.

Phase 4: The Cycle

It works… for a while. Then the same thing happens again. Now they’re offering Tinder Platinum for even more money.

Congratulations. You’re trapped.

 The Secret Score Nobody Tells You About

Here’s something Tinder doesn’t advertise: every user has a hidden “desirability score.”

This score determines:

- How often your profile gets shown

- Who sees your profile

- Where you appear in the swipe queue

If Tinder’s algorithm decides you’re not “desirable enough,” they basically hide you from most users. Your profile gets buried.

Want to be seen again? Pay up.

It’s literally pay-to-play dating, except they never told you you were playing a rigged game.

 The Discrimination You’re Paying For

Tinder charges different people different prices for the exact same service based on:

- Your age (over 28? Pay double!)

- Your gender (men pay more because there are 9 men for every 1 woman)

- Your location

A 35-year-old man might pay $34.37/month while a 25-year-old woman pays $6.99 for identical features.

They got sued in California for age discrimination and had to pay millions. But in places where they haven’t been sued? They’re still doing it.

The Goldilocks Zone of Misery

Tinder uses data science to figure out exactly how many matches you need to stay hooked but not happy enough to delete the app.

Think about that. They’ve calculated the minimum amount of hope required to keep you paying.

Too many matches? You might find someone and leave.

Too few matches? You might give up and leave.

The sweet spot? Just enough to keep you swiping, hoping, and most importantly - paying.

 The Monopoly You Didn’t Know About

Here’s the kicker: The same company that owns Tinder (Match Group) also owns:

- Match.com

- OkCupid

- Plenty of Fish

- Hinge

- Our Time

They have a near-monopoly on online dating. And every single one of these apps is financially motivated to keep you single.

When you quit Tinder frustrated and try Hinge instead? Same company. Same incentives. Same tricks.

 Why It Works So Well

Tinder exploits basic human psychology:

Hope: “Maybe the next swipe is the one!”

FOMO: “What if my perfect match is behind that paywall?”

Blame: “Maybe it’s my photos/bio/approach” (instead of realizing the system is rigged)

Sunk Cost: “I’ve already spent 90 minutes today swiping, might as well keep going”

They’ve gamified loneliness and made billions doing it.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

- Average male match rate: 0.6% (yes, less than 1%)

- Average time on app: 90 minutes per day

- Tinder’s 2021 revenue: Over $1.65 billion

- Number of registered sex offenders on platform: Unknown (they don’t vet users)

That last point is terrifying. They’re so focused on growth and profit that basic safety takes a backseat.

 What You Can Do

I’m not saying delete all dating apps (though you might want to). I’m saying understand the game being played:

Know the tricks: That sudden match drought isn’t you - it’s the algorithm forcing you toward paid features.

Don’t blame yourself: Low match rates are by design, especially for men.

Question the upgrades: Will Tinder Platinum really help, or will you just enter another cycle?

Try alternatives: Smaller apps with different business models exist. Some actually want you to find someone.

Meet people IRL: Revolutionary concept, I know. But it’s worked for thousands of years.

 The Bottom Line

Tinder created an app in three weeks that revolutionized dating. That’s impressive.

But they also created a system that profits from your loneliness, uses hidden scores to rank your desirability, charges discriminatory prices, and deliberately keeps you in a cycle of hope and disappointment.

Every successful relationship is bad for their business. Every lonely person desperately swiping is good for their bottom line.

That’s the evil economics of Tinder - a company that makes billions by keeping you single.

The question is: Now that you know, what are you going to do about it?

That’s how Tinder monetised loneliness!

Have you noticed these patterns in your own Tinder experience? Have you felt the “matches drying up” phenomenon? Hit reply and share your story - I’m collecting real experiences!

Stay aware,

Thanks for reading

The Business Bulletin Team

P.S. If this changed how you see Tinder, share it with your single friends. Sometimes understanding the system is the first step to beating it!

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