Shares in dating app company Bumble shot up by nearly 50% on Monday, following reports that it is in advanced talks to be acquired for around $1 billion. According to the Wall Street Journal, technology firm Ithaca could make an announcement about the deal as early as this week. The rise in Bumble’s stock pushed its market valuation to over $580 million, though it remains a far cry from its peak of over $14 billion after its 2021 Nasdaq listing. Bumble, which was launched in 2014 by Whitney Wolfe Herd, has seen its brand built around the unique feature that only allowed women to initiate conversations. However, the company recently abandoned this rule, sparking debate among users. Bumble is one of the world's top downloaded dating apps, operating in a competitive market where growth has slowed. Despite this, the company said in 2025 that it would cut nearly a third of its workforce as the industry faced what Wolfe Herd described as an 'inflection point' in online dating. As dating apps face growing pressure from younger users, investments in other dating companies have also soured. Match Group, which owns apps including Tinder and OkCupid, has seen its shares fall sharply from their peak in 2021. According to a report by media watchdog Ofcom in 2025, adults in the UK were spending less time on dating apps compared to three years earlier, with some turning to board game get-togethers and book clubs to find partners.