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I think back to freshman year, when my friends and I would cram onto a lumpy dorm-issue twin bed and huddle around one phone, collectively cringing as we swiped through Hinge. That was my first foray into dating apps. It took me a weekand a handful of dead-end chatsbefore I deleted it. As it turns out, Im far from alone. According to mobile app analytics company AppsFlyer, 65% of dating apps downloaded in 2024 were deleted within a month. This year, that number has climbed to 69%, AppsFlyer told Fast Company. During the pandemic, dating apps were a lifeline. Gen Z spent much of their formative yearshigh school and early collegeon Zoom, and online dating was a natural extension of a life in lockdown. Now, many young people want their love lives off-screen again. Wendy Walsh, the in-house dating and relationship expert for DatingAdvice.com and a psychology professor at California State University Channel Islands, explains that this generation lost at least two years of social learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Theyre often terrified of talking on the phone or meeting in person, and dating appsdesigned to connect strangersessentially translate to their worst fear. Yet younger adults continue to lead the way in online dating. According to Pew Research data from 2023, 53% of those younger than 30 have used a dating site or app, compared with 37% of adults ages 30 to 49, 20% of those 50 to 64, and 13% of adults 65 and older. Digital natives are swiping left on dating apps Last week, I conducted an informal poll of six Syracuse University students in their 20s who requested anonymitylargely because, as I noticed, they seemed embarrassed to be on dating apps in the first place. When I asked them about their experiences more broadly, disappointment came through. One pointed out that conversations on the apps rarely progressed beyond the texting stage. Another said they preferred meeting people in person and mostly used the apps for casual flings. Dating coach Grace Lee explained that college students often feel self-conscious about these platforms. If you have any kind of social life, youre not supposed to need one,” she says, adding that college life comes with high expectations to be out and about, which dilates the feeling that theres something wrong with you if you rely on a dating app. Most students I talked to seemed reluctant to discuss how often they engaged with the apps, while those who admitted to regular use did so with visible mortification. This frustration is far from isolated. A 2024 Forbes Health survey found that 79% of Gen Z users experience some degree of fatigue with dating apps like Hinge, Tinder, and Bumbletheyre investing tons of time without finding genuine connections. Walsh says the burnout comes from the paradox of choice. Having too many options leads the brain to value each one less. People swipe endlessly, believing something better is always one swipe away, which leaves them stuck in an algorithmic loophole. And the numbers back it up: A nationwide Kinsey Institute and DatingAdvice.com survey found that most Gen Zers would rather meet someone offline, with 90.24% of respondents saying they prefer social gatherings, bookstores, classes, and clubs. With a focus on self-care and authenticity, this generation feels that apps just dont deliver the kind of natural, low-effort spark theyre looking for. Its a flop era for online dating Dating app burnout isnt just a Gen Z thingthe “swiping fatigue” is hitting the whole online dating scene. Match Groups recent financial results underline the shift. The parent company of Tinder, Hinge, Match.com, OkCupid, and Plenty of Fish posted a fourth-quarter revenue forecast below expectations, signaling trouble converting casual users into paid subscribers. The company’s latest quarterly numbers show revenue at $914.3 million, up 2% compared with the same period last year, while “payers” declined by 5%. Match Group stock (Nasdaq: MTCH) has struggled this year. As of Friday, it’s down roughly 1.11% year to date, compared with the Nasdaq composite index’s growth of more than 15% during the same period. Tinder, once the company’s crown jewel, is wobbling: Revenue slid 3% year over year, and the number of paying users dropped by 7%, to 9.3 million. Half of Tinders monthly active users are Gen Zers, but with subscribers declining, the company is scrambling to find new ways to keep younger users engaged. Students I spoke with had similar thoughts on Tinder: “[Its more for] hookup culturefine for freshman year, but now Im looking for something more serious.” Match Group’s competitor Bumble isnt faring any better, reporting a 10% revenue decline and laying off 30% of its staff earlier this year. And yet, against all odds, Hinge is holding on tight. Gen Z accounts for 56% of its user base, and the app reported a 17% increase in paying users. Strong prompts and a focus on intentional dating seem to be working. As Match Group COO Spencer Rascoff echoed at the Goldman Sachs conference: Theres this misconception that Gen Z doesnt use dating apps. They do. Just look at Hinge. Is betting on AI the right move? New nonautomated modes, like Tinder’s Double Date and College Mode, are resonatingespecially with younger users. Double Date has taken off: 92% of its users are under 30, and women who pair up are three times more likely to send a “like” and four times more likely to match than when swiping solo, while College Mode is now used by 1 in 4 eligible student users. Dating companies are now betting that AI features will lure Gen Z backbut theres a catch: Gen Z is actually mor uncomfortable with AI than older generations. Several students I spoke with expressed discomfort with AI, noting that when its imposed in platforms, it feels unnatural and undermines the sense of authenticity. Social psychologist Justin Lehmiller, senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute, told Fast Company that his research shows most single adults dont want AI anywhere near their intimate lives. Thats the potential pitfall for some apps,” Lehmiller says. “[If] they’re incorporating more of this technology that a lot of people don’t really trust, is that going to draw more folks in, or is it just going to keep pushing them away? A Bloomberg survey mirrors this sentiment, revealing that Gen Z is hesitant about AI-generated bios or messages and favors authenticity. How the big players are trying to win over Gen Z Tinder appears to recognize the tension surrounding high-tech features. In a statement to Fast Company, the company said its shifting toward low-pressure, authentic experiences, and moving away from transactional connections. The app uses AI for security, photo selection, and safety promptswithout turning conversations into my bot texting your bot, as Match Group leaders emphasize. Similarly, Bumble CTO Vivek Sagi stated, We want to harness the power of AI. Our goal is not to replace love or dating with technology; its to make human connection better and more compatible. Hinge is also leaning into AI, focusing on tools that help users without impersonating them. This includes features like prompt feedback, a built-in AI tool called “Top Photo,” and the Are You Sure? message filter. And the subtlety seems to be working. The students I spoke with didnt even realize AI was involved in their daily swiping, and when I pointed it out, one gasped: I didnt put two and two together! Hinge CEO Justin McLeod recently explained that generative AI is meant to supportnot replacepeople. Authenticity deeply matters, he said. And Gen Z seems to agree.
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E-Commerce
This weekend, “Remove the Regime” protests in the capital are demanding an end to the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., as well as President Donald Trump’s impeachment, calling the deployment an overreach of presidential powers and politically motivated. A federal judge ruled Thursday that the troops’ deployment in D.C. is “unlawful.” This follows a similar ruling from a Tennessee state judge. Trump has also deployed National Guard troops to a number of other American cities, including: Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles; Memphis, Tennessee; Washington, D.C.; and Chicagoall cities run by Democrats, under the pretense of crime reduction. Here’s what to know about the protests. What, where and when is the ‘Remove the Regime’ protest? On Saturday, November 22, organizers will hold a peaceful protest in Washington, D.C. calling for an end to this administration, including Trump’s impeachment and removal from office. The main rally and march takes place starts at the Lincoln Memorial at noon with speakers, and a musical performance from The Dropkick Murphys. A ticketed fundraiser “One Cause, Four Bands at 7:00 p.m. will wrap up the event with a concert from musicians Earth to Eve, Gwen Levey & the Breakdown, Allstrike & Freedom Futures Collective. The day before, on Friday, November 21, the group is also holding a Veterans Rally at 2:00 p.m. and a Comedy Church standup-comedy fundraiser at 7:30 p.m. “We will have fun, but this is not for fun,” the “Remove the Regime” website says. “We intend to change the trajectory in this country and the conversation around the world.” Saturday’s protest, follows the last No Kings protests, which drew an estimated 7 million people in all 50 states, as well as a number of other nationwide protests this year, including Hands Off” and May Day gatherings in which Americans across red and blue states gathered to voice their concerns with the current state of U.S. democracy. Unlike those previous protests, “Remove the Regime” is only taking place in Washington, D.C. and focuses on what’s happening in Trump’s own backyard. Who are the organizers behind the ‘Remove the Regime’ protest? The Removal Coalition is made up of nearly two dozen organizations, including: Indivisible, 50501, Citizen’s Impeachment, Gaslit Nation, Flare, Remember Your Oath, and Fourteenth Now.
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E-Commerce
New research has found that AI-powered content moderation systems from Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and DeepSeek dont always come to the same conclusions about bad language on the internet.
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E-Commerce
President Donald Trump is considering pressuring states to stop regulating artificial intelligence in a draft executive order obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, as some in Congress also consider whether to temporarily block states from regulating AI. Trump and some Republicans argue that the limited regulations already enacted by states, and others that might follow, will dampen innovation and growth for the technology. Critics from both political partiesas well as civil liberties and consumer rights groupsworry that banning state regulation would amount to a favor for big AI companies that enjoy little to no oversight. While the draft executive order could change, heres what to know about states’ AI regulations and what Trump is proposing. What state-level regulations exist and why Four statesCalifornia, Colorado, Texas, and Utahhave passed laws that set some rules for AI across the private sector, according to the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Those laws include limiting the collection of certain personal information and requiring more transparency from companies. The laws are in response to AI that already pervades everyday life. The technology helps make consequential decisions for Americans, including who gets a job interview, an apartment lease, a home loan, and even certain medical care. But research has shown that it can make mistakes in those decisions, including by prioritizing a particular gender or race. Its not a matter of AI makes mistakes and humans never do, said Calli Schroeder, director of the AI & Human Rights Program at the public interest group EPIC. With a human, I can say, Hey, explain, how did you come to that conclusion? What factors did you consider? she continued. With an AI, I cant ask any of that, and I cant find that out. And frankly, half the time the programmers of the AI couldnt answer that question.” States’ more ambitious AI regulation proposals require private companies to provide transparency and assess the possible risks of discrimination from their AI programs. Beyond those more sweeping rules, many states have regulated parts of AI: barring the use of deepfakes in elections and to create nonconsensual porn, for example, or putting rules in place around the government’s own use of AI. What Trump and some Republicans want to do The draft executive order would direct federal agencies to identify burdensome state AI regulations and pressure states to not enact them, including by withholding federal funding or challenging the state laws in court. It would also begin a process to develop a lighter-touch regulatory framework for the whole country that would override state AI laws. Trump’s argument is that the patchwork of regulations across 50 states impedes AI companies’ growth, and allows China to catch up to the U.S. in the AI race. The president has also said state regulations are producing Woke AI. The draft executive order that was leaked could change and should not be taken as final, said a senior Trump administration official who requested anonymity to describe internal White House discussions. The official said the tentative plan is for Trump to sign the order Friday. Separately, House Republican leadership is already discussing a proposal to temporarily block states from regulating AI, the chamber’s majority leader, Steve Scalise, told Punchbowl News this week. It’s yet unclear what that proposal would look like, or which AI regulations it would override. TechNet, which advocates for tech companies including Google and Amazon, has previously argued that pausing state regulations would benefit smaller AI companies still getting on their feet and allow time for lawmakers to develop a country-wide regulatory framework that balances innovation with accountability. Why attempts at federal regulation have failed Some Republicans in Congress have previously tried and failed to ban states from regulating AI. Part of the challenge is that opposition is coming from their party’s own ranks. Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, said a federal law barring state regulation of AI was Not acceptable in a post on X this week. DeSantis argued that the move would be a subsidy to Big Tech and would stop states from protecting against a list of things, including predatory applications that target children and online censorship of political speech. A federal ban on states regulating AI is also unpopular, said Cody Venzke, senior policy counsel at the ACLUs National Political Advocacy Department. The American people do not want AI to be discriminatory, to be unsafe, to be hallucinatory, Venzke said. So I dont think anyone is interested in winning the AI race if it means AI that is not trustworthy. By Jesse Bedayn, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
Its a tough time to be looking for a job. Amid wider economic uncertainty, some analysts have said that businesses are at a no-hire, no fire standstill. That’s caused many to limit new work to only a few specific roles, if not pause openings entirely. At the same time, sizable layoffs have continued to pile up raising worker anxieties across sectors. Some companies have pointed to rising operational costs spanning from President Donald Trump’s barrage of new tariffs and shifts in consumer spending. Others cite corporate restructuring more broadly or, as seen with big names like Amazon, are redirecting money to artificial intelligence. Federal employees have encountered additional doses of uncertainty, impacting worker sentiment around the job market overall. Shortly after Trump returned to office at the start of the year, federal jobs were cut by the thousands. And the record 43-day government shutdown also left many to work without paychecks. The impasse put key economic data on hold, too. In a delayed report released Thursday, the Labor Department said U.S. employers added a surprising 119,000 jobs in September. But unemployment rose to 4.4% and other troubling details emerged, including revisions showing the economy actually lost 4,000 jobs in August. Theres also growing gender and racial disparities. The National Womens Law Center notes women only accounted for 21,000 of Septembers added jobs and that Black women over the age of 20, in particular, saw unemployment climb to 7.5% for the month. The shutdown has left holes in more recent hiring numbers. The government says it wont release a full jobs report for October. Here are some of the largest job cuts announced recently: Verizon In November, Verizon began laying off more than 13,000 employees. In a staff memo announcing the cuts, CEO Dan Schulman said that the telecommunications giant needed to simplify operations and reorient the entire company. General Motors General Motors moved to lay off about 1,700 workers across manufacturing sites in Michigan and Ohio in late October, as the auto giant adjusts to slowing demand for electric vehicles. Hundreds of additional employees are reportedly slated for temporary layoffs” at the start of next year. Paramount In long-awaited cuts just months after completing its $8 billion merger with Skydance, Paramount plans to lay off about 2,000 employees about 10% of its workforce. Paramount initiated roughly 1,000 of those layoffs in late October, according to a source familiar with the matter. In November, Paramount also announced plans to eliminate 1,600 positions as part of divestitures of Televisión Federal in Argentina and Chilevision in Chile. And the company said another 600 employees had chosen voluntary severance packages as part of a coming push to return to the office full-time. Amazon Amazon said last month that it will cut about 14,000 corporate jobs, close to 4% of its workforce, as the online retail giant ramps up spending on AI while trimming costs elsewhere. A letter to employees said most workers would be given 90 days to look for a new position internally. UPS United Parcel Service has disclosed about 48,000 job cuts this year as part of turnaround efforts, which arrive amid wider shifts in the company’s shipping outputs. UPS also closed daily operations at 93 leased and owned buildings during the first nine months of this year. Target Target in October moved to eliminate about 1,800 corporate positions, or about 8% of its corporate workforce globally. The retailer said the cuts were part of wider streamlining efforts. Nestlé In mid-October, Nestlé said it would be cutting 16,000 jobs globally as part of wider cost cutting aimed at reviving its financial performance amid headwinds like rising commodity costs and U.S. imposed tariffs. The Swiss food giant said the layoffs would take place over the next two years. Lufthansa Group In September, Lufthansa Group said it would shed 4,000 jobs by 2030 pointing to the adoption of artificial intelligence, digitalization and consolidating work among member airlines. Novo ordisk Also in September, Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk said it would cut 9,000 jobs, about 11% of its workforce. The company which makes drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy said the layoffs were part of wider restructuring, as it works to sell more obesity and diabetes medications amid rising competition. ConocoPhillips Oil giant ConocoPhillips announced plans in September to lay off up to a quarter of its workforce, as part of broader efforts from the company to cut costs. Between 2,600 and 3,250 workers were expected to be impacted, with most layoffs set to take place before the end of 2025. Intel Intel has moved to shed thousands of jobs with the struggling chipmaker working to revive its business. In July, CEO Lip-Bu Tan said Intel expected to end the year with 75,000 core workers, excluding subsidiaries, through layoffs and attrition. Thats down from 99,500 core employees reported the end of last year. The company previously announced a 15% workforce reduction. Microsoft In May, Microsoft began laying off about 6,000 workers across its workforce. And just months later, the tech giant said it would be cutting 9,000 positions marking its biggest round of layoffs seen in more than two years. The company has cited organizational changes, but the labor reductions also arrive as the company spends heavily on AI. Procter & Gamble In June, Procter & Gamble said it would cut up to 7,000 jobs over the next two years, 6% of the companys global workforce. The maker of Tide detergent and Pampers diapers said the cuts were part of a wider restructuring also arriving amid tariff pressures. Wyatte Grantham-Philips, AP business writer
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E-Commerce
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