00:21:43 · Katie Prescott, Yoel Roth
[00:21:43] S2: So how you change that then? How do you get those people who are finding each other online to actually meet in person? [00:21:50] S3: I mean, the fundamental thing we need to do is make it easier for people to find low pressure points of connection. 40% of Gen Z and millennial singles in The UK say that they would find organized single events like run clubs or karaoke nights appealing. And we particularly see with women that they say that they'd rather meet somebody new with friends around. And so what that tells us is that there's an appetite for connection, but it's not just any connection. And oftentimes, it's not that traditional one on one, you meet up and you sit across a table from each other and talk version of dating. Dating is now much more social and experiential and connected. The phrase we hear again and again, especially from Gen Z, is low pressure. And so what we're focused on building are lower pressure ways for singles to connect with each other. Imagine something like going to a pickleball event, and then afterwards, if you saw somebody who caught your eye, you can go on Tinder, find that person, and strike up a conversation. You have the in person interaction to see if there's a spark, and then you can have the follow-up later on where it's lower pressure for you to have that connection one on one. Those are the types of experiences that Gen Z singles in particular are looking for, and it's where we think Tinder can be really well positioned to offer a compelling product experience that people want.
00:23:20 · Katie Prescott, Yoel Roth
[00:23:20] S2: So what you're saying is when you talk about low pressure, it's like you don't actually have to go up to somebody and ask for their phone number because you might get rejected. So that creates a pressure or a friction point. [00:23:31] S3: That's right. I mean, I think back with some horror about the experiences that I would have, you know, being at a bar and trying to mingle with people. And it's both like, do you find this person attractive? And then you have to figure out what to say, and then you have to introduce yourself. It like, I actually think technology can really make that interaction better. There's a clear product market fit around reducing the awkwardness of a first connection. But people don't always want that to be predicated on having endless online back and forth or feeling like it needs to be overdetermined so that the online back and forth exclusively leads to a date. People want the option of starting with friendship and socializing first. [00:24:15] S2: Thank you, Yoel. [00:24:16] S3: Thank you so much for having me.
00:24:16 · Yoel Roth, Danny Fortson, S7
[00:24:16] S3: Thank you so much for having me. Ad[00:24:20] S1: This episode of the Times Tech Podcast is sponsored by Adobe. AI is rapidly changing how brands reach customers, But simply adding AI to your tech doesn't guarantee results. That's where Adobe comes in, personalizing customer experiences and turning AI into real business value. With data at the center of decisions and governance built into every step, you can use AI safely. And with Adobe, your teams are free to focus on what matters most, setting strategy, defining goals, and bringing the creative insight and nuance that only people can. Turn AI's promise into marketing reality. It starts with Adobe. Ad[00:25:01] S7: Today's episode of the Times Tech Podcast is sponsored by ServiceNow. ServiceNow describes itself as an AI control tower for business reinvention, connecting people, systems, data, and AI so work flows more smoothly across an organization. The platform integrates with different clouds, models, and data sources, bringing them together in one place to help your team. To learn more about how ServiceNow puts AI to work for people, visit servicenow.com.
00:25:01 · S7, S4
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00:26:38 · Katie Prescott
[00:26:38] S2: So there we go. That's the state of the dating world for you. Think the thing that really jumped out for me was the narrative at the moment is so focused on AI killing us all. And there's really a dystopian view of AI. And actually he says the issues are far more prosaic and they are in what's going on in disinformation, and perhaps sometimes even more insidiously, actually, misinformation. People just accepting what a chatbot says is correct and absolutely it's kind of pumping out nonsense. And there just being a total lack of any sort of regulation around that, which I think was really interesting in terms of safety and just how AI has sort of exacerbated the problems that he would have dealt with at Twitter.
00:27:26 · Danny Fortson, Katie Prescott
[00:27:26] S1: Yeah. And I would just... Count me skeptical on this notion that AI is going to improve dating or finding your person online. I just, you know, I just feel like... I don't know if dating apps... And I'm sure lots of people have a different view. I don't know if dating apps are a net positive for society. You know? People always figured out how to find people. And, you know, I don't know what... If divorce rates have improved or happiness scores have improved and having friends who are many friends who are single and, like, you know, they are living through these apps. It's... It sounds pretty brutal and there's not... You know, it has removed all kind of spontaneity from life, you know, the the random chat at the bar or the pub or whatever. And I just don't know if, you know, you're using AI to spruce spruce yourself up or to kind of cut through to find if the person is gonna really make a difference. [00:28:28] S2: I loved it how at the end of the interview, he talked about dating apps removing friction and removing the difficulty of basically having to ask for [00:28:36] S1: someone- Life is friction. [00:28:36] S2: A phone number. And I was going to say, I think there is a sort of, in the brave act of doing that and putting yourself out there and making yourself vulnerable in those moments, there's also something to be learned from that.