Bumble has announced that it is “discontinuing operations” in Russia and neighbouring Belarus, going to remove its apps from the Apple and Google play stores in both nations.
The Bumble company, that has its own eponymous dating app, also owns Badoo and Fruitz, both of which are popular in Europe.
The announcement comes as many companies globally suspend services, advertising, and events in Russia as economic pressure mounts in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Companies on the ever-expanding boycott list include McDonald’s and Coca-Cola, as well as the Mercedes-Benz Group and Airbnb.
Bumble did not respond immediately to questions on Wednesday, including those about what prompted the company’s decision. A spokesperson instead pointed to a Tuesday earnings statement, which forecasted a $20 million revenue loss from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus over the course of 2022 as a result of the conflict and the company’s decision to restrict its apps. It anticipates a $2 million loss in the first quarter.
Last week, Bumble announced that it was “assisting the International Rescue Committee in assisting women and families affected by the Ukraine crisis.”
According to the statement, Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine contribute less than 0.1 percent of the Bumble app’s revenue. According to figures released last year, the three countries will account for approximately 2.8 percent of the company’s total annual revenue in 2021, which include all of its modules.
According to the United Nations, an estimated 2 million Ukrainians have fled since the beginning of the invasion, with UNICEF estimating that at least half of them are children.
Whitney Wolfe Herd founded Bumble in 2014 as a “female-first” product can help women to make the first move with matches by initiating contact. If no message has been sent within 24 hours, the match is lost.
Bumble was reportedly created with the assistance of Russian billionaire Andrey Andreev. Andreev, 48, was born in Moscow and is the creator of the social networking site Badoo. According to Forbes, he has a net worth of $2.1 billion.
According to a 2019 Forbes investigation, the Badoo/Bumble headquarters in London had a toxic, misogynistic environment, based on allegations from 13 former employees who put Andreev at the centre of the scandal.
Whereas Andreev tried to deny a few of the allegations, the Financial Times reported that he eventually sold his stake in MagicLab, the parent company of Badoo and Bumble, for around $3 billion.
