Elie Seidman Talks Competition from Facebook

Elie Seidman, CEO of Tinder, has spoken to Yahoo Finance about the threat of Facebook Dating.

He argued that over the past few years, there is less of a feeling that one social platform will dominate to the exclusion of all others. Instead, different services can thrive by offering specific functionality. 

Seidman said: “I’m a big believer that you want to really focus at what you’re good at. Looking at the competition, it’s going to drive you into their thinking, and you really want to have distinct thoughts.”

He expressed similar sentiments in September, then suggesting that Tinder’s understanding of its own user base is what would give it the edge. Again speaking to Yahoo Finance, he said: “I think how you approach dating is just different than the core of where Facebook spends most of its time.”

Seidman also added thoughts on user safety, saying: “We always, of course, caution people and say, look, it’s not an alternate universe (…) it is the real world and the same caution and thoughtfulness you use in the real world, you should use on any digital community.”

Earlier this month, Match joined Spark Networks and The Meet Group to discuss how technology can be used to keep users safe. The UK-based Online Dating Association also participated in the conversation.

Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg has previously stated that Tinder was not impacted by Facebook Dating in markets like Canada.

Read more here.