This is really apparent in their “Top Picks” feature. They give you a list of people the algorithm thinks you will like, but you’re only allowed to check out one of them in free mode. Even though apparently these people are a great match for you they do not show up in the course of regular swiping. Which makes it obvious that Tinder is keeping a holdout set of people it thinks you are compatible with and never shows them to you. Using that app is akin to using a slot machine, and I suspect the algorithms they use for doling out rewards are very similar.
I think you got that wrong. Top Picks appear to be people who are picked the most, not because I would personally like them. Most of the time I like none of them even if they obviously have a “good” profile (sexy photos, no bio)
Funny you say that. When I was using Tinder I assumed that sexy photos and no profile description or bio were bots or scams. I completely ignored them.
Also, if someone can't be bothered to even write a single word. Meh.
They have to strike an interesting balance- enough people have to find romantic success on the app (and tell their friends) to get new users, but not be so successful that too many users stop using the app.
Dating, matchmaking, or even just finding friends, is a perfect problem space that is just ripe for a free service to come and try to solve.
Why isn’t there a free platform for dating? (not counting the subreddits and FB groups for that, because they’re retooling something else, not built from the ground up to solve problems specific to this space).
It’s one of the biggest social issues imo, especially in cultures that restrict or repress dating in meatspace, or places with uneven demographics (e.g. there are literally millions of more men than women out there, which means that many will inevitably “die alone”)
If more people could find a suitable partner or even just compatible friends, it would make the world a much better place, if only by reducing misery (and spurring the economy :)
Why isn’t anyone else stepping in besides the wolves that just prey upon loneliness and desperation?
meetup.com is probably the closest service; although not for dating specifically, meet enough people and sooner or later you'll meet a partner (and if you don't, you usually still have a good time). They don't do a stellar job, but it's okay.
Dating specifically is a pretty difficult problem space because of the creeps, abusers, asynchronicity of the experience of men and women, etc. This is also a problem in non-dating; for example every city where I've attended Couchsurfing meetups there was at least one "creepy guy", and almost every women I've talked to for some length had at least one story.
Plus, it also depends on the "network effect"; why is everyone on Tinder? Because everyone is on Tinder! couchsurfing.com is a badly run platform but none of the alternatives have taken off because there just aren't that many people there.
1) Why would someone build software that sophisticated and not expected to be rewarded for their time and effort? The the amount of skill needed to determine an algorithm good enough to connect people that might be a good match for each isn't a trivial thing that one can pull a library from npm for.
2) How do you attract a large enough user base to make it effective in the first place?
Reddit, Meta, Tiktok, and Alphabet have investors and make much of their own revenue from ads. HN isn't a meet-and-greet site but a discussion forum hosted at the benefaction of YC.
What you're looking for takes enough intelligence to solve and code a solution to the optimal stopping problem, enough money to perpetually host such a system, and enough legal training and patience to comply with the legislative demands of 200 countries. Why shouldn't such a company want to be rewarded in hard currency and no just likes or gratitude?
They are incentivized to maximize engagement just like Tinder. Seems like an awfully ripe place for abuse. Dating should not be handled by a for-profit company.