Shares of Bumble (BMBL +35.39%) leaped on Thursday after the online dating app maker unveiled some intriguing new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered features.
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Refocusing on safety and the member experience
Bumble's revenue declined 14.3% year over year to $224.2 million in the fourth quarter. Sales for its namesake app fell 14.8% to $181 million, while its Badoo app and other revenue shrank 12.4% to $43.2 million.
The declines were driven by a 20.5% drop in paying users to 3.3 million, which was partially offset by a 7.9% rise in average revenue per paying user to $22.20.
NASDAQ: BMBL
Key Data Points
"In 2025, we made the deliberate choice to return Bumble to its women-first foundation, raising the bar on trust and authenticity while addressing pain points our members experience with online dating," CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd said. "We believe that when women feel safe, confident, and intentional about who they meet, the entire ecosystem works better."
All told, Bumble's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) decreased by 1% to $71.6 million.
AI enhancements should drive earnings higher
Looking ahead, management expects Bumble's adjusted EBITDA to climb to between $76 million and $80 million in the first quarter.
During a conference call with analysts, Herd said Bumble is developing AI-driven features built on its proprietary data to highlight more relevant matches. These tools should help to boost member satisfaction scores -- and, by extension, Bumble's revenue and profits -- by serving as AI-powered dating assistants and matchmakers.
"We believe that we have one of the largest and most nuanced data sets of real human connections in the world, leaving us uniquely positioned to apply AI in ways that are more personalized and effective than any potential new entrants," Herd said.
