Is set to become Bumble’s new top executive, succeeding the company’s founder CEO, Whitney Wolfe Herd.
Previously, Lidiane Jones had just filled the CEO shoes at Slack the previous year, taking over from its founder CEO, Stewart Butterfield. Jones boasts a diverse resume, with notable positions at tech giants like Salesforce, Microsoft, and Sonos. Her appointment at Bumble begins at the start of the upcoming year.
The outgoing CEO, Wolfe Herd, is slated to take on the role of executive chair and was all praise for Jones. In a released statement, she highlighted, “Lidiane is truly exceptional in her technological and product prowess. Her leadership for Bumble Inc.’s next phase is a significant gain for all our stakeholders.”
This leadership reshuffle at Bumble presents a challenge for Slack, especially after Salesforce’s hefty $28 billion acquisition of the firm in 2020. Just two years post-acquisition, Butterfield made his exit announcement, introducing Jones as his successor. Butterfield, much like Wolfe Herd, had a high regard for Jones, lauding her qualities in a Slack message when announcing her promotion.
In a previous interview with TechCrunch, Jones articulated her vision for Slack, emphasizing the importance of maintaining Slack’s unique identity even while integrating Salesforce’s features.
Jones is no stranger to the tech world, holding various influential roles. At Salesforce, she helmed positions including head of product for Commerce Cloud, and General Manager for multiple clouds. Before that, she had a 13-year tenure at Microsoft, working on multiple projects, and later took on the VP of Product role at Sonos.
Bumble, initiated in 2014 by Wolfe Herd alongside some Tinder colleagues, aimed to revolutionize the dating app paradigm by giving women the initiating role. With time, Bumble fortified its feminist and safety principles, implementing strong policies against unsolicited behaviors and launching innovative features to enhance user safety.
Before 2019 saw Badoo’s founder Andrey Andreev sell his shares in Bumble’s parent firm MagicLab, the company was primarily under Badoo’s ownership. Following this, Wolfe Herd assumed the CEO mantle while maintaining her company shares. Today, the business comprises apps like Bumble, Badoo, the newly acquired Fruitz, and others.
Recently, Wolfe Herd hinted at the company’s future direction, emphasizing the role of AI in enhancing romantic connections. She shared these views at the Code Conference. The trajectory of these AI initiatives under Bumble’s new leadership remains to be seen, especially considering both Slack and Salesforce’s positive approach to AI.
Currently, the dating app sector is experiencing a lull among younger users. According to an Axios study of U.S. college-goers, a significant majority seldom use these platforms. Even Tinder, the top dating app, has seen diminished user engagement.
This trend has affected Bumble’s stock performance. After a strong IPO in 2021, its stock price has seen a decline, currently hovering around $12.67, following this new announcement.
Bumble is set to release its Q3 earnings on Nov. 7, 2023. The last quarter showed promising numbers, surpassing analysts’ predictions.
Come the new year, with her impressive career trajectory, Jones is poised to bring a fresh perspective to Bumble, mirroring her transformative influence at Slack.
