Users checking into the dating app to see how many feet they are from a potential love interest can now expect to be poached for work, rather than asked out.
Still, as per Insider, the company is not looking to build features that might specifically foster networking opportunities, like LinkedIn’s jobs board or Bumble Bizz, where people can show off their résumé.
Plus, although Grindr’s CEO is pitching the platform as a place for poaching staff, its interface is still primarily centered around hooking up, with users able to indicate whether their photos are NSFW (not safe for work) and if they’re a “top” or a “bottom” in the bedroom – for now.
Arison tells Fortune it will add to the app’s functionality to support the uses that its users care about from hookups and dating to friendships and networking.
“Grindr is committed to building community among its users, and professional connections come about in many different ways,” he adds. “We often hear from users about the significant ways in which Grindr has shaped their lives, including building professional relationships that have led to jobs.”
As the lines between business and pleasure blur on Grindr, LinkedIn has been struggling with a similar dilemma.
Recent research has shown an uptick in users heading to the thought-leadership-heavy professional networking platform to find love—but it’s not going down well with women who are mostly on the receiving end of such unwanted advances.
But since hooking up is not the site’s intended use, about 43% of those women have pushed back to let the senders know they’ve crossed a line and 74% have dialed back their activity on LinkedIn at least once as a result of the inappropriate behavior.
Ultimately, if female professionals reduce their presence on the platform, they may find it harder to connect with people in their field, build their personal online brand, and get hired. Meanwhile, LinkedIn risks having a platform that isn’t inclusive of women.
It’s perhaps why, unlike Grindr—which is clearly embracing the diverse ways users can forge connections beyond the app’s original scope—LinkedIn’s community guidelines explicitly prohibit using the platform as a dating site.
“We also encourage people on LinkedIn to report inappropriate content so our teams can help protect them and others. We regularly share updates about the content we remove from LinkedIn in our transparency report.”
