Above: An ad for Tinder's app
According to Tinder chief executive Sean Rad, the lawsuit filed against his company alleging a horrific story of sexual harassment and sex discrimination “is full of factual inaccuracies and omissions.”
In a private company memo leaked to TechCrunch, Rad detailed his regrets: “I wish I had done more in terms of managing what was clearly a complex situation,” he said. But, Rad claims, “we did not discriminate against Whitney because of her age or gender, and her complaint paints an inaccurate picture of my actions and what went on here.”
News of the lawsuit broke yesterday, revealing the allegations made by former Tinder marketing VP Whitney Wolfe. Wolfe alleges that she was forced out of the company and stripped of her cofounder status because of her gender. Tinder and IAC didn’t respond to VentureBeat's requests for comment on the matter.
You can view the lawsuit in its entirety here. Here’s the leaked company memo, in full:
Hey team,
I know it's been a difficult 24 hours for all of us…
I've learned a lot through this process and I wish I had done more in terms of managing what was clearly a complex situation. The communications between Justin and Whitney that have come to my attention through this process are just unacceptable. However, as many of you know, Whitney's legal complaint is full of factual inaccuracies and omissions. We did not discriminate against Whitney because of her age or gender, and her complaint paints an inaccurate picture of my actions and what went on here. We take gender equality very seriously and none of this reflects the Tinder and culture that we have worked so hard to create.
I truly appreciate your dedication.
Sean Rad
Founder & CEO, Tinder
Tinder finds out who likes you nearby, and connects you with them if you're also interested. It all started with the realization that there are many apps that connect us with people we already know, but none that do a great job of h... read more »
