Grindr said Thursday that fourth-quarter revenue exceeded Wall Street estimates, and the company increased its authorized share repurchases by $400 million as it pushes artificial intelligence to the center of its growth plan.
The Los Angeles-based dating platform reported fourth-quarter revenue of $126 million, up 29% year-over-year and above consensus of $122 million. For the full year, Grindr expects revenue to be above $528 million, roughly in line with the $529 million estimate compiled by LSEG.
Buybacks and capital allocation
Alongside the quarterly results, the company expanded its share repurchase program by $400 million. Management signaled that capital will be directed both toward buybacks and continued investment in technology and product development.
AI push and new premium tier
Grindr said it will continue to make heavy investments in AI-powered initiatives throughout the year, centering its product roadmap on features it expects will boost user growth and engagement. The company launched "Edge," a new premium AI-powered subscription tier designed to consolidate Grindr’s AI capabilities into a single offering. "Edge will be the focus for most of the year, trial and testing around the pricing and enhancing the user experience through the comprehensive offering," Grindr CEO George Arison said.
Grindr is leaning on its proprietary gAI system to power chat summaries, personalized recommendations and profile discovery tools. The company describes its approach as differentiated by an emphasis on community-building features and location-based networking rather than solely on facilitating romantic matches.
User strategy and product mix
While competitors such as Bumble and Match Group’s Tinder have faced challenges keeping younger users engaged amid changing preferences and what some call dating app fatigue, Grindr said it has preserved a leading position in the LGBTQ+ dating market. Management stressed it will keep "a very robust free product" to help attract younger users while rolling out premium AI features.
Corporate posture and future investments
In October, Grindr’s majority shareholders proposed taking the company private; talks later dissolved in November. Management said the company will remain public. "We are going to stay public. And everyone’s aligned on that. I think we have a very clear strategy," Arison said.
Looking ahead, Grindr indicated it will step up investment in 2026 to modernize core architecture and explore expansion beyond dating, including health and wellness services under its Woodwork initiative.
Market tools and stock research
The company’s stock coverage and buy/sell considerations have drawn attention from AI-driven stock research platforms. ProPicks AI evaluates GRND using more than 100 financial metrics and compares it across thousands of names to identify opportunities. The AI service cited prior examples of notable winners, including Super Micro Computer (+185%) and AppLovin (+157%).
Grindr’s results, the expanded repurchase program and the strategic emphasis on AI-powered offerings collectively outline the company’s current posture: defending its leadership in LGBTQ+ dating while attempting to broaden engagement and monetization through technology investments.