Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Whitney Wolfe Herd

Discover the career path of Whitney Wolfe Herd, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Whitney Wolfe Herd is an American entrepreneur best known as the founder, executive chair, and former CEO of Bumble, a dating app where women make the first move. Launched in 2014, Bumble quickly gained popularity and went public. Before Bumble, Wolfe Herd was a co-founder of Tinder and served as its Vice President of Marketing, contributing significantly to its early growth and branding. Her focus on empowering women in online interactions has been a defining characteristic of her entrepreneurial endeavors.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2012: Joins Cardify Startup

In 2012, at age 22, Whitney Wolfe Herd joined the startup Cardify, a project led by Sean Rad through Hatch Labs IAC incubator. She later joined the development team for the dating app Tinder.

April 2014: Resigns from Tinder

In April 2014, Whitney Wolfe Herd resigned from Tinder due to growing tensions with other company executives.

September 2014: Tinder Lawsuit Settlement

In September 2014, Whitney Wolfe Herd reportedly received more than US$1 million as well as stock as part of a settlement from a lawsuit against Tinder for sexual harassment.

December 2014: Founds Bumble in Austin

In December 2014, Whitney Wolfe Herd moved to Austin, Texas, and founded Bumble, a female-focused dating app, after Andrey Andreev contacted her about creating a dating platform.

2014: Bumble Launched

In 2014, Bumble, an online dating platform, was launched with Whitney Wolfe Herd as the founder, executive chair, and former CEO.

2014: Business Insider Recognition

In 2014, Whitney Wolfe Herd was named one of Business Insider's 30 Most Important Women Under 30 In Tech.

December 2015: Bumble's Growth

By December 2015, the Bumble app had reached over 15 million conversations and 80 million matches.

2016: Elle's Women in Tech

In 2016, Whitney Wolfe Herd was named as one of Elle's Women in Tech.

November 2017: Bumble User Base

As of November 2017, Bumble had over 22 million registered users.

December 2017: TechCrunch Feature

In December 2017, Whitney Wolfe Herd was listed in a TechCrunch feature on 42 women succeeding in tech that year.

2017: Forbes 30 Under 30

In 2017, Whitney Wolfe Herd was named as one of Forbes 30 Under 30.

2017: Chappy Co-Founded

In 2017, the UK-based gay dating app Chappy was co-founded by Jack Rogers, Max Cheremkin and Ollie Locke and funded primarily by Bumble and Whitney Wolfe Herd.

January 2018: Badoo Seeking Sale

In January 2018, CNBC reported that Badoo was seeking a sale that could value the company at about $1.5 billion.

2018: Time 100 List Recognition

In 2018, Whitney Wolfe Herd was named in the Time 100 List.

2018: Forbes 30 under 30

In 2018, Whitney Wolfe Herd was named to Forbes 30 under 30.

March 2019: Testimony on Unsolicited Explicit Photos

In March 2019, Whitney Wolfe Herd testified before the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence committee about the prevalence of unsolicited explicit photos sent to female users on dating applications.

April 2019: Bumble Mag Release

In April 2019, Whitney Wolfe Herd released the first print issue of Bumble Mag in partnership with Hearst.

September 2019: Dating App Popularity

As of September 2019, Tinder and Bumble were the first and second most popular dating apps in the U.S., with monthly user bases of 7.9 million and 5 million, respectively.

November 2019: MagicLab Sale to Blackstone Group

In November 2019, Bumble's parent company MagicLab was sold to The Blackstone Group. Wolfe Herd became CEO of the newly acquired MagicLab and received an ownership stake of approximately 19% of the company.

February 2020: Chappy Shut Down

In February 2020, UK-based gay dating app Chappy, co-founded in 2017 and funded primarily by Bumble and Wolfe Herd, closed down.

2020: Bumble Replaces MagicLab

In 2020, Bumble replaced MagicLab as the parent company of both Bumble and Badoo. As of 2020, Bumble has over 100 million users worldwide.

2020: Forbes Ranking

In 2020, Forbes listed Whitney Wolfe Herd at number 39 of the top 100 "America's richest self-made women,".

February 2021: Bumble's Valuation After Nasdaq Listing

In February 2021, Bumble topped $13 billion in valuation after listing shares on the Nasdaq exchange.

February 2021: Bumble Goes Public

In February 2021, Whitney Wolfe Herd became the world's youngest female billionaire when she took Bumble public.

2021: Becomes Youngest Female Billionaire

In 2021, Whitney Wolfe Herd became the world's youngest female billionaire after taking Bumble public.

2022: Forbes Ranking

In 2022, Forbes listed Whitney Wolfe Herd at number 33 of the top 100 "America's richest self-made women,".

May 2023: Net Worth Estimate

As of May 2023, Forbes estimates Whitney Wolfe Herd's net worth at approximately $510 million.

November 2023: Executive Chair Role Announcement

In November 2023, Whitney Wolfe Herd announced she would enter the role of executive chair in January 2024, with Lidiane Jones stepping into the position of CEO of Bumble.

January 2024: Executive Chair Role Start

In January 2024, Whitney Wolfe Herd transitioned to the role of executive chair at Bumble, with Lidiane Jones becoming the CEO.

May 2024: AI Dating Concierge Suggestion

In May 2024, Whitney Wolfe Herd suggested at the Bloomberg Tech Summit that single people might use AI dating concierges as stand-ins for themselves when contacting potential partners online.

January 2025: Return as CEO Announcement

In January 2025, Bumble announced that Whitney Wolfe Herd would return as CEO in mid-March, replacing Lidiane Jones, who was stepping down for personal reasons.