Bumble Kills Off Swiping, Gambles on AI to Revive Stalling Growth

Bumble's elimination of swiping—the defining feature of modern dating apps—marks a desperate pivot as the company hemorrhages users, with paid members dropping 21% in just one year. The company's shift toward AI dating features like its 'Bee' assistant represents a high-stakes bet that artificial intelligence can revitalize a stagnant category plagued by user fatigue. Whether Gen Z will embrace AI-driven dating or reject it as invasive could determine not just Bumble's fate, but signal the future direction of the entire dating app industry.