DeepSummary
Justin McLeod, the founder and CEO of the dating app Hinge, shares his journey of overcoming addiction and heartbreak that ultimately led him to create one of the world's most popular dating apps. He discusses the early days of Hinge, the challenges he faced, and the pivotal moments that shaped the app's success. McLeod emphasizes the importance of vulnerability, authenticity, and creating meaningful connections in the world of online dating.
McLeod delves into his personal life, including his tumultuous relationship with his college girlfriend, Kate, and how their eventual reunion inspired him to reimagine Hinge as an app focused on fostering long-term relationships. He also touches on the stigma surrounding dating apps in the early 2010s and the emergence of competitors like Tinder.
Throughout the conversation, McLeod shares insights on company culture, hiring practices, and the future of dating apps. He discusses the role of AI in enhancing the matchmaking process and addresses the disparity in dating experiences between men and women on these platforms. Ultimately, McLeod's vision for Hinge is to shape a healthier dating culture and help people find meaningful connections.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Justin McLeod's personal struggles with addiction and heartbreak led him to create the dating app Hinge.
- Hinge was created with the vision of fostering meaningful connections and combating loneliness.
- In the early days, Hinge faced challenges and stigma surrounding online dating, but persevered with a focus on authenticity and vulnerability.
- The emergence of competitors like Tinder influenced Hinge's growth and prompted a reboot to focus on quality over quantity.
- McLeod emphasizes the importance of company culture, hiring practices, and being guided by principles in building a successful business.
- AI and technology hold promise for enhancing the matchmaking process and addressing disparities in dating experiences.
- McLeod's vision for Hinge is to shape a healthier dating culture and help people find their ideal partners.
- The impact of social media and technology on human connections and loneliness is a concern McLeod hopes to address through Hinge.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “I built hinge because I wanted a girlfriend, but we had to suffer through a lot of failure to finally get to success.“ by Justin McLeod
- “I think the future is getting brighter for us to be able to solve that problem.“ by Justin McLeod
- “We want to foster intimate connection to create a less lonely world.“ by Justin McLeod
Entities
Company
Person
Book
Concept
Episode Information
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
DOAC
2/15/24
What is the best way to get over a heartbreak? For Justin McLeod that was creating one of the world’s most popular dating apps.
Justin McLeod is the CEO and founder of the dating app Hinge, which has over 20 million users and sets up a date every 3 seconds.
In this conversation Justin and Steven discuss topics, such as overcoming addiction, early stigma around dating apps, the setbacks and difficulties when creating Hinge, his tumultuous love story, and why happy endings are for the movies.
00:00 Intro
02:07 My Addiction & Going to Rehab
05:18 12 Step Programme for Addiction
07:36 How My Love Experiences Influenced My Entrepreneurial Journey
12:22 Founding Hinge
15:46 How Do We Know Which Ideas to Go After?
18:50 When Did the App Form?
23:35 Tinder and How It Impacted Hinge
27:29 The Interview That Changed My Life
34:14 The New Era for Hinge
36:56 How to Be Successful on Hinge
38:56 What Is Hinge Labs?
42:51 The Worst Things to Do in Dating Apps
44:03 Advice for People Going on Loads Of Dates
47:30 Dating Apps Want People to Stay Single to Have More Customers…
49:23 How Has the Dating World Changed in the Last Few Years?
50:31 Hinge First Principles
51:48 The Importance of Taking Risks
01:00:38 How to Have Great Company Culture
01:17:16 Biggest Hiring Mistakes
01:19:42 What the Future of Dating Apps Looks Like
01:21:33 The Last Guest Question
Watch the episodes on Youtube - https://g2ul0.app.link/3kxINCANKsb
My new book! 'The 33 Laws Of Business & Life' is out now - https://smarturl.it/DOACbook
Follow me:
https://beacons.ai/diaryofaceo
Sponsors:
Huel: https://g2ul0.app.link/G4RjcdKNKsb
WHOOP: https://join.whoop.com/en-uk/CEO
Uber: https://p.uber.com/creditsterms
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices