Original Tinder team disputes ‘co-founder’ claim as Wolfe Herd film debuts on Hulu

Swiped, a new film about Whitney Wolfe Herd, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and is streaming on Hulu, with Lily James portraying Wolfe Herd. The movie is drawing scrutiny from several of Tinder’s original executives, who say the portrayal is inaccurate and that they had criticized the buzz around the project before seeing the full film, having only watched the trailer. The film’s focus on Wolfe Herd’s role has sharpened a long-running dispute over who should be considered a co-founder of Tinder.

Jonathan Badeen, Tinder’s co-founder, told Page Six, “I haven’t seen the movie… it’s obviously going to be a lot of lies.” He said he first heard about the project from “a drunk executive,” and after that conversation, “it’s been a little bit of a freak out knowing this thing was going to be full of errors, and a hit piece on [the actual founders].” Several insiders contend Wolfe Herd was never a co-founder, characterizing her role as junior or intern-like in the early Tinder days. Wolfe Herd’s team has disputed that characterization, saying she “is, was, and will always be a co-founder of Tinder, and that cannot be disputed.”

The dispute over Wolfe Herd’s status has been shaped by past tensions, including a lawsuit Wolfe Herd filed against Tinder and its parent company, IAC, alleging discrimination and sexual harassment, among other claims. The case was settled with both parties admitting no wrongdoing. Insiders note that Wolfe Herd went on to found Bumble in 2014 and later became the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire, a point highlighted by media coverage years later. Badeen, Mateen, Rad, and others from the Tinder leadership have continued to challenge the narrative surrounding Wolfe Herd’s role, while Wolfe Herd’s camp has consistently defended her co-founder status.

Rosette Pambakian, Tinder’s former VP of communications and marketing, recalls Wolfe Herd as “Justin’s girlfriend” who “was very intent on letting people know that.” Pambakian said Wolfe Herd “didn’t add anything to meetings or to the business of Tinder, but she was always begging to be included [in articles] as co-founder. It was all self-serving.” Pambakian noted that Wolfe Herd’s name as a co-founder first appeared in a 2013 Harper’s Bazaar article, which left the comms team scrambling to have it removed. Insiders describe a pattern in which Wolfe Herd sought the co-founder label to bolster her career during and after Tinder’s early years. They recount that Justin Mateen, Badeen, Rad, and Wolfe Herd appeared together in early-day photos and marketing materials, with insiders saying Wolfe Herd’s perceived leadership role was overstated in later coverage.

Former Tinder brand manager Josh Metz, who joined the company in 2013, told us he was surprised by the film’s trailer and said Wolfe Herd “wasn’t involved with any of the early marketing. It was all Justin, who was coming up with strategies.” Metz described Wolfe Herd as not part of leadership, and he said he stayed silent at the time out of fear of losing his job. He added that he now speaks out after seeing the trailer, which he described as “inauthentic.”

The contention that Wolfe Herd was a co-founder has persisted despite Wolfe Herd’s own public stance. Wolfe Herd told CNBC on Friday that she was not involved with the film, saying, “No, I’m not involved in it… Frankly, I was informed about this movie after it was already off to the races. I think they had already written the script and done all these things. I even was asking my lawyer two years ago, like, ‘What do I do? I don’t want a movie about me. Shut it down!’” Her representatives did not comment further through the period reviewed.

The film’s release on Hulu has intensified the discussion about Tinder’s origins and Wolfe Herd’s place in it. Wolfe Herd later founded Bumble in 2014 and has described her path as distinct from that of Tinder’s original leadership. The insiders’ arguments, which include expectations about how a company’s history should be told, underscore broader tensions in Hollywood between narrative storytelling and the contested, complex histories of tech startups.

The Hulu release has left some observers debating whether Swiped will crystallize a widely accepted version of Tinder’s formation or merely spark renewed discussions about the retelling of tech-origin stories. While Hulu did not respond to comment requests for this story, Wolfe Herd said she did not participate in making the movie and has indicated she sought to resist a public portrayal she viewed as inaccurate. Reactions from other participants and the streaming platform remain a central part of the ongoing dialogue around the film’s reception and the broader cultural memory of Tinder’s early days.