Bumble teases a swipe-free future as it doubles down on IRL meetups

Bumble says it’s moving beyond swiping and deeper into real-world social experiences as it courts Gen Z users.

TikTok lays off 250 employees, shutters its Nashville office

The social media giant is shuttering an office that housed some members of TikTok’s content-moderation team.

Gen Z dating apps like Ditto ditch swiping in favor of AI matchmaking

This generation of twentysomethings is so disillusioned with swipe-based dating apps that they’ll try literally anything else — even an AI matchmaker.

Why Lightspeed is going all-in on creator-led venture capital

Venture firms are turning to creators to build trust with the next generation of founders before a check is ever written. It’s a trend that’s been building with a16z’s acquisition of Erik Torenberg’s Turp…

Reddit aims to make ‘karma’ less important for first-time posters with shift to AI moderation tools

Reddit is expanding its moderation tools and building stronger abuse prevention systems that it says could eventually reduce communities’ reliance on karma and account-age requirements, making it easier for legitimate newcomers to participate.

As Gen Z reconsiders dating apps, Tinder’s IRL events expand to dozens more cities

Tinder is expanding its in-person events feature from an initial Los Angeles test to 26 cities worldwide by the end of September.

Snap CEO sidesteps Specs preorder questions on Q2 earnings call

When asked about product-market fit, Spiegel said he believes mass-market consumer adoption won’t occur until the end of the decade.

Influencers draw backlash for attending OpenAI’s first luxury trip

OpenAI’s first-ever influencer brand trip is sparking online backlash as tensions over the use of AI continue. 

Snapchat no longer rewards fully AI-generated Spotlight content

Snapchat has adjusted its recommendation systems to ensure that only videos created by real people are eligible for Spotlight recommendations, taking a stance against AI slop.

Reddit is testing a new way to watch — and listen to — its viral posts

Reddit is developing a new video experience that lets users watch — or simply listen to — its most popular posts, taking inspiration from the viral TikTok videos that pair Reddit stories with gameplay or other footage. CEO Steve Huffman said the featur…