David Brown

Wolf Hurd lost her billionaire status and eventually stepped down as CEO.

And Bumble isn't alone with these issues either.

Across the dating app world, users are exhausted.

People are deleting apps, skipping swipes, and opting out altogether.

Some even say celibacy sounds better than suffering through one more miserable meetup.

Bumble has spent months trying to adapt, but this billboard campaign with its anti-celibacy message lands with a thud.

To many of Bumble's core users, particularly women, it feels like the brand is scolding the very people it once claimed to empower.

Within hours, social media is flooded with outrage, including this YouTuber's incredulous reaction.

Plenty of other creators agree.

And some say they're insulted enough to dump Bumble altogether, including one TikToker who mocks the new ads.

As the backlash spreads, Bumble's top brass pulls the campaign.

The billboards and the posters come down.

The company offers a written apology on Instagram saying, we made a mistake.

But not everyone is buying it, because this isn't just about a bad ad campaign.

As part of its reinvention, Bumble has made a seismic change.

For the first time in its 10-year history, men can now make the first move.

This means that the radical rule that defined the app, Women Go First, is gone.

And that raises a much bigger question.

A question that will haunt Bumble for months to come.

From Audible Originals, I'm David Brown, and this is Business Wars.